Antagonist
by Kalashnikov2092
Summary: Naruto is dead. Long live Naruto. Newly revised chapters with better grammar and small additions.
1. Prelude

**Antagonist**

by Kalashnikov2092

Disclaimer: Well would you look at this! It seems I don't own either Bleach nor Naruto. Stop the fucking presses...

Author's Musings: Well here I am. This is my first story, and it is a Naruto and Bleach crossover. However, instead of going with the usual Shinigami Naruto, I will be doing a Hollow/Arrancar Naruto instead, just because it appeals to me more. So anyways, enjoy.

/

"Those whom we say farewell, are welcomed by others." - Unknown

"Go to heaven for the climate, Hell for the company." - Mark Twain

/

Prelude: Disappear From Living, But Not From Hearts

Blood rose up in his throat as his internal injuries worsened, thanks to Uchiha Sasuke. Uzumaki Naruto stared into the unflinching Mangekyo Sharingan eyes of his former comrade and brother. Naruto sneered and choked up a decent mass of blood. Naruto's own eyes were neither the frog yellow of Sage Mode, or the slitted red of his Kyuubi-influenced form. He was unable to even muster the will to use these abilities, already used up in prior battles.

Sasuke smirked as the last thing in his way of destroying Konoha began to die in front of him.

"How does it feel, dobe? To know that you have completely failed, both in beating me and saving the village," Sasuke stated cockily.

Naruto did not respond. He simply formed a Rasengan in his left hand.

Sasuke laughed at him.

Sasuke's malicious grin was accompanied by, "A fighter to the end I see. No matter. Just die, fool."

The blazing lightning of a Chidori flared in the traitorous Uchiha's hand as he prepared to finish this battle. Naruto's right hand came over to his left and began molding his Rasengan into the devastating Rasenshuriken. Sasuke saw this, and flashed forward and embedded his hand straight into the center of Naruto's chest. Naruto had just barely twisted, so the attack missed his heart. Sasuke sneered as he realized this. Before the traitor could pull his hand out, Naruto struck with a complete Rasenshuriken.

The spinning medium of wind chakra made contact with Sasuke's throat, tearing it open. Sasuke roared, and quickly pulsed his Chidori into its Nagashi form, sending needles of lightning through Naruto's heart. However, this was too little too late, as the Rasenshuriken had already left Naruto's hand and began tearing Uchiha Sasuke into pieces. The traitor's mutilated body was sent flying backwards, pulling Sasuke's arm from Naruto's body. The son of Namikaze Minato staggered, blood absolutely pouring from his mouth and chest. The strong-willed ninja stumbled around in a haze of pain and blood-loss. A few seconds later, the boy toppled over. Using the last ounce of will he had, Naruto turned over to lie on his back.

They say that the last thing you see before you die is your whole life. For Uzumaki Naruto, images of how this battle began flew into memory. It had been a year since Pein's defeat at the hands of Naruto, and Akatsuki had gone into hiding. Then, out of nowhere, the criminal organization struck. The remaining members sneaked into Konoha and began to attack the village, which was still under construction.

Naruto had easily dispatched Kisame, Zetsu, and Sasuke's companions in Sage Mode. Then Uchiha Madara finally made himself known. With the help of the Kyuubi, Naruto had defeated the elder Uchiha. He was extremely worn out after this, and then Sasuke struck. A quick popping of a backup Sage clone had induced Sage Mode, but against the powers of Sasuke's Mangekyo, he had run out of said chakra. Sasuke had tried to finish Naruto was the ever powerful Amaterasu, but the power that Itachi had given Naruto before Itachi's death made Naruto impervious to the black flames. Even with this special ability, Naruto was still tired from his battle with Madara. Sasuke capitalized on this with a Chidori to Naruto's right kidney. After that, the battle soon came to its finish.

Now Naruto lay at death's doorstep.

The door opened.

Pitch black.

/

Naruto was startled to find that he was standing in the air. A short link of chain was sticking out of his chest. Confusion was clearly written on his face as he stared down upon his body. "What the fuck? I'm dead," Naruto asked in horror. Movement caught his eye as three figures emerged from the woods. He knew them well. It was Tsunade, Shikimaru, and Sakura.

The three of them halted immediately as they saw his body. Tsunade seemingly froze up, looking at Naruto's dead body, which was absolutely drenched in blood. Tsunade tried to reach out for something to steady herself, but finding none, collapsed to her knees. Tears were streaming down her face as she continuously shook her head in denial. Shikimaru looked away from Naruto's body, emotions flooding through his face. Sakura stood still. She looked at Naruto's body with eyes devoid of emotion. She noticed a trail in the ground away from Naruto's body. Slowly, she followed the train, to find the mutilated corpse of Uchiha Sasuke, she took a step back, before running away from the sight with a heart-broken expression on her face.

She came back to Naruto's body with tears flowing freely. She stared down into his open eyes, which were now glazed over.

"Why! Why did it have to end this way? You killed Sasuke...killed him!" Sakura screamed hysterically. Frantically wiping her tears away, she once again cried, "Is this what you've done? To leave me all alone! First Sasuke, then Kakashi-sensei, and now you! It's all your fault! All your..." She never finished as Shikimaru flat out decked her. Sakura dropped like a stone, immediately silencing. However, the damage was done.

Naruto's spirit looked on with wide eyes.

"So this is it? I give my entire existence to protect you and Konoha, but you throw it back in my face when I'm dead?" Naruto all but whispered.

Rage.

Boiling hot rage flooded Naruto's soul. The chain protruding from his chest suddenly grew teeth and began to chew away at itself. Naruto didn't notice this. The rage in him was rapidly expanding, and he was more than willing to accept it. A red aura, almost the shade of blood, began swirling around him. Naruto roared into the sky, and the red aura began to cyclone directly around the area in his chest where the chain remained.

The chain became a charred black before disintegrating. The aura continued to drill into him, when suddenly a hole appeared. It was small at first, perhaps the size of a golf ball. It slowly but steadily increased in size until it was as big as his fist. Naruto continued to roar, and as he did, a milky white substance exploded from his mouth, covering his face. The substance continued to cover him, before shrinking, seemingly consuming him.

The white substance disappeared, as did Naruto.

/

Naruto reappeared in the middle of a white desert, still roaring. The milky white substance was still thriving on him, changing him into something else. The white substance finally covered his entire body, turning him into an evil spirit.

A hollow.

It was not over yet, though. The red aura returned wrapping itself around him. The new hollow embraced the power it began to give him, and Naruto began to change again. His present hollow form was a gigantic muscle-bound creature with a skull-like mask, with a red swirl on the forehead, three "whisker" marks on each cheek, and then sharp teeth. However, this mask soon began to change. It became smaller, as did the rest of Naruto's hollow body. It became more compact, and definitely stronger. Now Naruto was a more canine like creature, with long, powerful limbs and wickedly sharp claws. His hollow mask turned more canine-like as well, but kept its striking features.

The new Naruto let one last terrifying roar as the red aura dissipated. Naruto's figure relaxed as he took in surroundings. It seemed that his little display had attracted the creatures that inhabited this desolate place. Some looked on in wonder, others hid in fear, while even some eyed him with hunger. Naruto turned to the latter, and eyed them with cold interest.

"Did you see that one? He was just normal at first, but then he became an Adjuchas! He completely skipped over the Gillian stage! He is a strong one," a random creature stated.

A much larger looking creature seemed to grin, before saying, "Yes, a strong one indeed...he would be a worthy being to devour!"

The creatures that had been looking at him hungrily cried in agreement.

Naruto seemed to chuckle.

"Devour me?" Naruto said, his voice a mesh of his old one and a deep baritone, "So you will eat me? I'm afraid...that will not happen. However, your idea makes sense to me. Perhaps I will devour you?"

As the other creatures roared in indignation, Naruto struck.

/

Aizen looked upon the massacre at present. This new hollow had almost instantly become a Adjuchas when he arrived. He could feel the power radiating off this one. However, it was not the most powerful he felt. This one would need to grow before Aizen would take interest. Though admittedly, Aizen was interested already.

/

This sense of fullness...Naruto could not deny it felt good. This feeling far surpassed what having a full stomach was to him when he had been living. Ichiraku Ramen paled in comparison to this sensation. Though his meal was not cooked, just the raw carcasses of these dead hollows, it filled him with a sense of satisfaction he was a virgin to. With every bite he took, every splash of blood around his maw, more power began to flow through his veins.

The new hollow raised its head to the sky, blood dripping from its chin and hot breath fogging from its mouth.

He howled.

**END**

/

Well, that was the first chapter of Antagonist (kinda). The official Chapter 1 will be here soon, and I hope it will satisfy many Hollow Naruto fans out there.


	2. I The Ravages of the Beast

**Antagonist**

by Kalashnikov2092

Disclaimer: "It seems this young bloke doesn't own Naruto _or _Bleach! What should we do, Holmes?"

-sigh- "Watson, we will do nothing. He has already said he doesn't own them. Not get out of my house, it's two o'clock in the morning!"

"Sorry..."

Author's Musings: Here I am again, everybody. It's time for the first REAL chapter of Antagonist, and things will start to get moving. This and a few more chapters (maybe) will have Naruto in his travels as an Adjuchas.

/

"In violence we forget who we are." Mary McCarthy

/

I: The Ravages of the Beast

The Adjuchas-class hollow by the name of Naruto slowly licked the blood off of his paws. His last opponent had been a fellow Adjuchas that looked like a giant centipede. The fallen soul had not lasted long, Naruto's cero ripping through the beast with ease. Then came the feasting he had fallen in love with.

Naruto could feel the energy coursing through his being thanks to his latest meal. He felt this way after most meals, and had noticed that he had been growing in strength. Naruto stretched and readied to continue his travels across this white desert. With a quick burst of speed, the hollow was blurring through the sand.

He could recall his past battles, some of which he had narrowly won or had ended in a draw. He had fought dozens upon dozens of hollows. There had been days where he had fought and eaten entire packs of Menos. He fondly remembered when had once feasted upon a total of thirteen Adjuchas in one day. Still, there had been times when he heard whisperings of Vasto Lordes travelling nearby. At those instances, Naruto kept his head down and left those areas. He was only an Adjuchas. He wanted to part in a quarrel with those monsters.

In his many travels, Naruto's first real opponent had been an Adjuchas by the name of Nnoitera. He was a mantis-like hollow with many bladed limbs to use. The two had met in a clash like two wild animals that day. The battle had been fierce, but eventually ended in a draw. Naruto had learned much in that confrontation, like battling opponents with long reach, using his speed to his advantage, and finally realizing how to use the highly destructive cero.

The battles after that had been either easy, or the rare powerhouse opponent that Naruto would have to go all out on to win. However, the recent battles had been a breeze. Nobody could really give him good sport anymore, and this saddened him. It had been at least half a year since this drought began. And after three years of good fights, Naruto was left wanting. He regularly prayed that his next encounter would be a good battle. These prayers were never met, and it had been getting on Naruto's nerves.

/

It had been quite some time since Aizen had begun watching the young hollow. His power had been increasing exponentially since the first time he had appeared. The young hollow didn't know it, but even at his present level, he could maybe defeat one of his Espada. That was a feat very few non-arrancars could ever hope to achieve. Aizen smiled at this, and idea forming in his head.

"Alessandro, would you please come here?" Aizen asked in his calm voice.

Dordonii Alessandro Del Socacchio was an Espada, a good one at that. He might have been a bit eccentric, but his prowess in combat could not be denied. The said Espada entered Aizen's chamber and bowed.

"What is it that you need Aizen-sama?" Alessandro asked respectfully.

Aizen turned to him and directed him towards a screen.

"Do you see that hollow there?" Aizen asked. Alessandro nodded, and Aizen continued, "I've noticed he has been growing stronger, more than I thought possible. I want you to go and dispose of him."

Fire lit up in Alessandro's eyes as he struck a weird pose.

"As you wish my lord! This hollow will not prevail against Dordonii Alessandro Del Socacchio," the ecentric arrancar ranted.

Aizen smiled once again, and said, "Very good. Now go."

/

Naruto had stumbled across a few minor Adjuchas while running. At present, he was having an admittedly boring fight and he was absolutely hating it. A small Adjuchas that looked like a bear took a swipe at him, and the young hollow easily caught the offending limb in his teeth. With a quick jerk of the neck, Naruto tossed the bear-like hollow into another, mosquito looking hollow. The two then went crashing into a sand dune. Naruto wanted to growl in disgust ast such pathetic foes. However, he had one more opponent to be aware of.

Naruto easily dodged a tail swing from the last Adjuchas that looked like scorpion. Naruto sneered before he struck back with a slash of his wicked claws. He flayed through the hollow's exoskeleton, spewing gore all over himself. The creature roared in pain and anger, trying to pierce the young Adjuchas with its stinger. Naruto dodged again, before biting into the hollow's side. Naruto began to feast, shredding the scorpion hollow's soft innards in his mouth. The monstrosity let out a horrible shriek as the young Adjuchas ate him alive.

Soon the two other hollows intervened, but it was too late. The scorpion Adjuchas was dead. The mosquito hollow tried to gore Naruto with its long proboscis, but the hollow sidestepped and the sucker lodged itself in the ground. Using his speed once again, Naruto's left paw shot out and snapped the offending hollow's proboscis in half. The creature buzzed in mixture of anger and pain, and the bear-like hollow moved into attack. Its large form once again took swipes at the lithe Uzumaki, but the young Adjuchas' agility made the attacks pointless. The bear hollow gave a roar of frustration before a blinding light began emanating from its mouth.

Realization quickly dawning on Naruto, he charged his own cero without even the slightest hesitation. A second later the bear fired off the "hollow flash," shortly followed by Naruto. The two beams met, the bear hollow's a pale orange, and Naruto's a blinding yellow. There was a very short clash of will, before Naruto easily overpowered his opponent's pathetic cero. Naruto's beam bore right through the opposing Adjuchas' attack, and blasted its head clean off its body. The creature's form dropped without hesitation, blood fountaining from its headless neck. Naruto's canine face contorted into a vicious, predatory grin.

Now that his opponent was dead, the young Adjuchas turned his attention to the last enemy. The mosquito hollow seemed to be backing away, but Naruto struck far too quickly. Lunging forward, Naruto all but tackled the insectoid creature to the ground. Its hand came up to push Naruto off, but this was a poorly made decision. The stronger hollow snapped its jaws out, catching the offending hand between its teeth. Ichor spewed from Naruto's mouth as the mosquito's hand exploded under the pressure.

The creature buzzed in horror and agony. Its focus lost, Naruto's jaws snapped again. This time, right around the insectoid's throat. The Uzumaki hollow began to tear into the evil spirit's throat, shaking it like a rag doll. Soon enough the mosquito hollow was dead, its warm blood covering Naruto's face. Now that the battle was over, Naruto could now eat in peace.

In the next hour, Naruto ate every bit of all three bodies, and he was pleased.

/

A day had passed since Naruto had fought, killed, and eaten the three minor Adjuchas. His strength had increased only slightly, but still enough to be noticed. Though he was happy with yesterday's victory, something was eating at him. It seemed like someone was always watching him, and he didn't like it. Naruto stopped walking, and looked around. Desert went on for miles, yet nobody was around.

"You seem to be looking for someone, Niño."

Naruto spun around to meet the sight of a man. He was a little tall, and had jet black hair, short beard, and mustache. Naruto noticed that he had horns of sorts on his hairline, looking like they were made of bone. Other than that, the only other striking things about him were his white clothes and sword at his side. If Naruto could raise his eyebrow, he would, but alas...

"I see you carry a sword...a Shinigami perhaps? If so, it would be best to leave me be. I've already killed some of your compatriots on my visits to the land of the living. Don't follow in their footsteps," Naruto growled in annoyance.

The man smirked at him, and said, "Sorry Niño, but I am not at all a shinigami. I am Dordonii Alessandro Del Socacchio, arrancar and Espada!"

Naruto was surprised at this. He had heard whispers of the beings called arrancars. Hollows that had removed their masks and gained the powers of a Shinigami.

Naruto voiced, "So this is what an arrancar is...however I'm not sure what an "Espada" is."

Once again, a smirk flared across this arrancar's face, and he said, "What an Espada is is of little importance to you at this moment."

Naruto's eyes became steely as he asked, "And why would that be?"

Alessandro grinned, and said with sudden seriousness, "It doesn't matter, Niño, because you are about to die!"

Naruto quickly jumped backwards as Alessandro struck with a sweeping kick. The young Adjuchas skidded in the sand, before gaining footing and shooting back towards the Espada. The man smiled as he dodged the lunged, and then landed a solid kick in Naruto's stomach. The hollow went flying through the desert, before crashing into a sand dune.

Alessandro grinned, before yelling, "I hope you are okay, Niño! For if you are not, this would not be any fun!"

Naruto on the outside was scowling, but on the inside...

He was grinning like an animal at the thought of this new opponent.

**END**

/

A quick opening but not a bad one (I hope). The later chapters should be longer.


	3. II The Adjuchas and the Arrancar

**Antagonist**

by Kalashnikov2092

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach. If I did, I would be a very rich man. I would spend my riches on random, unneeded things, like giant bowls of cereal, a life-time supply of toothpicks, a copy of the Watchmen, some Roburritos, a big ol dip, and a giraffe and lizard cross breed.

Author's Musings: Well, I have returned for the second chapter of my surprisingly popular fanfic, Antagonist. The battle between Naruto and Dordonii will start to pick up, and if things play out correctly, it will be pretty epic. So then, enjoy!

/

"I am a soldier, I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight," - General George S. Patton

"Never underestimate the power of passion." - Eve Sawyer

/

II: The Adjuchas and the Arrancar

The sand dune exploded as Naruto flared his sizable reiatsu. Alessandro looked on with his amused grin, readying himself for the next clash. He didn't wait long before the canine-like hollow pounced, his razor sharp claws reaching. Dordonii flipped backwards as Naruto landed where he once stood. Not letting up, Naruto's right paw shot forward, hoping to plow a hole through the Espada. Alessandro moved to the left, easily evading the attack.

Choosing then to strike, Dordonii once again snapped out a kick. Surprisingly, Naruto jumped upwards before latching on to the offending limb with his sharp claws. Before Alessandro could shake off the young hollow, Naruto slammed his paw into the Espada's chest. He flew backwards, hitting the sand before skipping like a flat stone on the water. Eventually Alessandro gained footing and stood up with a smile.

"Very well done, Niño! You are quickly making this more enjoyable! Come, come," the Espada cried happily while gesturing towards Naruto.

The young Adjuchas was more than happy to oblige.

Dordonii quickly evaded a powerful claw swipe directed towards his throat, before answering back with a punch. Naruto turned his body slightly, before clamping his jaws on Alessandro's wrist. The young hollow pulled, slamming Dordonii into the ground with surprising force. Naruto then raised his paw to strike the downed Espada, but a fist smashed into his chest and sent him soaring through the air. Naruto quickly righted himself in mid-air. Then, a bright yellow glow began flowing from his mouth. A second later Naruto's cero fired downwards to annihilate Dordonii. The Espada quickly fired off his own "hollow flash," and the two beam attacks met. The roar of the two attacks was deafening.

There was a standstill for a moment, before the two beams exploded. The explosion was immense, lighting up the sky for miles. Naruto flipped and landed on ground once again. Immediately, a slightly scuffed up Alessandro came flying from the smoke with his foot raised above his head. The ax kick was dodged by Naruto, letting sand fly. Dordonii followed up with a quick jab and a roundhouse kick. Naruto narrowly dodged both before tackling Dordonii. The two of them slammed into a sand dune, where Naruto tried to claw at the Espada's face. However, Alessandro grabbed Naruto's paw and threw him to the side. The young Adjuchas skidded for a moment, before flipping into the air and firing another cero.

His Espada opponent leaped away from the beam as quickly as possible. The area in which Dordonii was inhabiting moments before exploded in a flash of light and sand. The sand dune was gone, replaced with a glassy crater.

Naruto growled as he felt a presence behind him. He matched a kick from Dordonii with one of his own. The two circled away from each other before clashing once more. The Espada flashed his blade forward in a beautiful thrust, but Naruto leaped a short distance upwards to dodge the attack. He then pawed downwards, forcing Alessandro's blade down into the sand. Naruto followed up with a pouncing headbutt. Dordonii surprisingly braced himself with a headbutt of his own. Their heads were caught in a deadlock as they battled for dominance. They were eye-to-eye, Naruto glowering at his opponent while Dordonii held a look of humor in his eyes.

Seeing that neither would win this battle of wills, the two hollows jumped away from each other.

Dordonii laughed into the air, yelling, "My goodness Niño! You are quite the opponent! This is getting better every moment." The arrancar landed with a smirk on his face, ready to continue with the battle.

"I'm glad you're enjoying this too."

Alessandro's eyes widened as the voice came from directly behind him. He turned around just in time to be hit with Naruto's blinding yellow cero. Dordonii was sent rocketing away by the attack. His progress stopped when he smashed into a large frock sticking out of the desert. The cero died off, revealing an injured Alessandro with his sword drawn in front of him. A large wound was bleeding on his chest, but other than that Alessandro was fine.

His eyebrow was raised as he asked, "How were you able to move so fast?"

Naruto simply answered by blurring forward, kicking up sand where he traveled. Dordonii blocked a powerful slash from Naruto's claws with his sword. The attack still drove him backwards, but he retaliated with a blurringly fast thrust. Naruto dodged to the left, but he still suffered a shallow cut on his chest. Dordonii did not let up, swinging his blade with incredible precision. Naruto hissed as a particularly long gash was inflicted on his shoulder. Before Naruto could react, a vicious kick rocked his bottom jaw. The young Adjuchas went flipping backwards at the power of the blow. Naruto smashed into sand and Dordonii was there again. The Espada tried to stab him again, but Naruto rolled out of the way. Alessandro then lashed out with another brutal kick to the chest. The young hollow was launched into the air. The Espada appeared above him a split second later, delivering a powerful jab that sent the Adjuchas back down to the sands. Seemingly floating, Dordonii attacked again, this time with a cero.

Naruto fired off his own at the last second, but all this led to was the two attacks exploding right in front of him. Alessandro landed next to the now charred and injured Uzumaki, a smirk plastered on his face.

"You did quite well, Niño. To even last this long without being an arrancar is quite the accomplishment," Alessandro said with a smirk, "So now then, goodbye Niño." The Espada raised his blade to deliver the final strike. He brought the weapon down, only for one of Naruto's paws to come up and grasp his hand. Alessandro's eyebrows raised in surprise. Naruto looked up at him, anger blazing in his eyes.

"Don't call me Niño."

There was a loud, wet sound as Naruto's other paw came up and slashed across the Espada's stomach. Blood sprayed from the wound, and Dordonii stumbled backwards in shock. Naruto's back legs then sprung out, catching Alessandro in the chest. The arrancar flew backwards due to the strength of the blows, but quickly landed on his feet.

The Espadea sneered, saying, "It would be better to give up _Niño_. You're just barely keeping up. It will only be a matter of time before I dispose of you!"

Naruto's back made a cracking sound, before he said, "Yes, that is true. I am just barely keeping up at present. However, if I stop holding back, then..." The cracking noise heightened, as Naruto stood up on his back legs. The cracking continued as his back straightened out and his head came forward accordingly. Finally, Naruto's claws seemed to crumble, revealing plated fingers underneath.

Dordonii's eyebrows raised in surprise as Naruto new form towered over him. When Naruto was in his canine form, he was about five feet from head to bottom. Now as he stood on two feet, he was at least eight feet tall.

"What is this?" Alessandro asked in astonishment.

Naruto rolled his shoulders, saying, "This is my battle form. When I go all out, I become bipedal for easier movement. Now then, shall we continue?"

A fist crashed against Alessandro's cheek, sending him flying away. The Espada halted his progress by sticking his blade into the ground. Immediately, Naruto was in front of him, fist reared back to punch him again. Already knowing how powerful the blow was, Dordonii dodged the attack and countered with a swing directed to decapitate the tall hollow.

Naruto leaned backwards to dodge the swiped before spinning and catching the Espada with a strong backhand. Dordonii went skidding through the sand. He soon rolled to his feet and fired a cero. Naruto leaped high into the air, causing Dordonii's cero to miss him completely. Naruto then struck with his own cero, this time fired from his hands. It was much bigger this time, and Alessandro barely was able to dodge. However, the force of the explosion still sent him tumbling through the sand. As he reached his feet, a horrendously strong kick smashed into his back. He gasped in pain as he was launched through a nearby sand dune. He tried to get to his feet, but Naruto was on him once again. A vicious blow to the stomach plowed Dordonii into the sand. Naruto went for another blow, but a sudden force smashed into him, sending him backwards. He got up and shook it off, before turning to face Alessandro, who was now standing.

"Hm! To think that a lowly Adjuchas like yourself would force me to use bala," the Espada said in indignation. Naruto tilted his head.

"What exactly is bala?" the now bipedal hollow asked.

Dordonii smirked, and answered, "Bala is a lower powered cero, but is much faster. Now, Niño, run for me!"

A volley of bala smashed into the spot where Naruto once vacated. The young Adjuchas had launched himself into the air to dodge the attack. Alessandro then appeared above Naruto, fist reared back to launch another bala. Naruto twisted backwards, evading the speedy cero, before lashing out with a kick. Dordonii blocked with his sword, but was still driven away. Seemingly landing on an invisible platform, the Espada launched more bala at Naruto. Said Uzumaki countered with his powerful cero, blowing the bala away with ease. Then Naruto fired a cero again, this time directly at Alessandro. The Espada swung his blade, catching the side of the cero, before straining and pushing the beam away. Looked on in awe of the Espada's strength. Never before had someone been able to overcome his cero, let alone smack it out of the way.

"Are you surprised, Niño? This is the strength of an Espada! Now, die," Dordonii cried as he launched his bala once again. Naruto speedily dodged the projectiles, before suddenly being aware of a glow in the sky. Looking up, he noticed a cero was in his face. Eyes widening, Naruto did the first thing that came to mind.

He opened his mouth.

At first it seemed as though this was the worst idea he had ever thought of. Then, slowly but surely, the young Adjuchas began to swallow Alessandro's cero. Said Espada's eyes widened exponentially as he bore witness to such a feat. As Naruto finished consuming the "hollow flash," he opened his own mouth, and a cero combined with the power of Alessandro's and his own was sent at the arrancar. Surprised by this, Dordonii had no time to react as the double cero crashed into him. There was an enormous explosion, and the arrancar's form dropped from the sky. Alessandro collided with the ground hard enough to leave a sizable crater.

Naruto slowly made his way to Dordonii. Upon arriving the crash site, he laid his eyes on the injured form of the Espada. He was bleeding heavily from wounds on his arms and face. It seemed that Dordonii had brought his arms up to block the brunt of his attack.

"Well now...it seems you have lost," Naruto said. Alessandro looked up at him, contempt easily showing in his eyes. Naruto began walking towards him, saying, "It's time for you to die..._Niño._"

Anger exploded in Dordonii's eyes. Roaring in anger, the Espada launched another bala at him. Naruto sidestepped the weak cero, before delivering a powerful ax kick to Alessandro. The arrancar let out a silent scream, blood jettisoning blood from his mouth.

The young Adjuchas reached down and grabbed Dordonii by the collar of his tattered shirt. He looked right in the Espada's eyes, and said, "Die you fucker."

Naruto pulled his arm back, ready to plow it through the arrancar. As his arm began to move forward, Dordonii quickly brought up his sword to block. The plan worked, stopping Naruto's attack. Quickly attacking, Dordonii peppered Naruto point blank with bala. The Uzumaki hollow went crashing away. However, Alessandro did not let up. The Espada continued to rain bala upon the lower hollow. Soon a huge cloud of dust appeared, thanks to Dordonii's endless barrage of bala. Alessandro stopped his offense, huffing in exhaustion.

"I hope you're dead, Niño," the Espada croaked tiredly.

"Sorry to disappoint..."

A hand was sticking out of Dordonii's stomach. He looked at it with horrible wonder. Alessandro slowly turned his head to find Naruto directly behind him, his arm sticking into his back. With a horrible splattering sound, Naruto wrenched his arm free of the Espada.

"Now it truly is over. Simply lay down and die, arrancar," Naruto said, his tone icy.

Dordonii laughed.

At first it was a whispering chuckle, then a chortle, and then finally side-splitting laughter.

Looking at Naruto, blood oozing from his mouth, Dordonii said, "I'm afraid this battle is only half-way through...**NIÑO**!" Alessandro's reiatsu suddenly spiked, and Naruto's eyes widened.

"**WIND...**(1)"

Wind began whipping around Dordonii, much like a cyclone.

"**Giralda!**(2)"

**END**

/

The final part of the battle will be concluded in the next chapter.

I thoroughly enjoyed writing this battle. I thought Dordonii was one of the cooler arrancar in the series. He was always eccentric, but serious at the same time. Well anyways, see you guys next chapter!


	4. III Clash of Whirlpool and Tempest

**Antagonist**

by Kalashnikov2092

Disclaimer: Kalashnikov 3:16- Thine does not own Naruto nor Bleach. He does, however, own his wallet. Which he stole.

Author's Musings: This is chapter 3 of my fanfic, and I've been getting some positive reactions. I'm really enjoying it, and the battle in this chapter will be even better than the last. Some of Naruto's powers will be discovered, and Dordonii will show his battle prowess at its fiercest. Also, I'll give some insight of what's going on in Soul Society. Enjoy everybody.

/

"Look for me in the whirlwind or the storm." - Marcus Garvey

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will." - Mahatma Gandhi.

/

III: Clash of Whirlpool and Tempest

It was a sight to behold.

Before him stood Dordonii Alessandro Del Socacchio, and arrancar and an Espada (whatever that was). However, the hollow did not look like he used to. Now, large horn like protrusions came from his shoulders. His legs were similar, but instead of the protrusions just sticking there, they wrapped around his legs. Finally, his ankles were covered in some sort of armor. This armor had little exhaust ports on the side, which emitted gigantic cyclones. From these cyclones came giant serpent like creatures, with bird-like mouths.

Naruto looked on with wonder. Dordonii's reiatsu was absolutely incredible. It even surpassed Nnoitera's, the Adjuchas he had combated all those years ago. Not to mention all of Alessandro's wounds from before were now nonexistent.

"That expression Niño! It says, 'What exactly am I looking at?' This, Niño, is an arrancar's ultimate ability. It is our form of releasing our zanpakutō. However, out release is so advanced, it alters us down to out DNA. This, my boy, is called Resurrección," Alessandro cried happily, his arms opened outwards.

Naruto hummed, and said, "So this is the fabled Resurrección? I must say, it is quite impressive. However, it does not change the fact that you are going to lose."

Dordonii laughed heartily.

"How cocky you sound, Niño! You have no idea how doomed you are! It's sad, really," the Espada bellowed, "Now enough with this useless talking! Fight!"

And with that, Alessandro kicked out in front of him. Suddenly, the large serpents went speeding at Naruto. The Uzumaki hollow leaped out of harm's way, only to have to dodge once more as the serpents struck again.

Growling in annoyance, Naruto fired off a cero at the floating Espada. Immediately, the serpents coiled around Dordonii, blocking the deadly attack. All the while, Alessandro was laughing. The serpents slid towards the young Adjuchas once again. Naruto jumped to avoid the first one, only to be driven back down to the desert by the second. The tip of the serpent's beak crushed him into the ground. Naruto roared, and quickly pushed the serpent away. Getting back to his feet, Naruto had to quickly duck under another striking serpent. After doing so, Naruto leaped upwards, towards the floating Dordonii. Said arrancar smirked, and fired a cero at the flying Adjuchas. Naruto took this in stride, opening his mouth and swallowing the "hollow flash." Alessandro frowned as he forget of this ability. It then occurred to him that since he was in his released state, his cero would be stronger. Thus, when Naruto used his cero double...

The arrancar tried to pull back his serpents to defend, but Naruto had already fired the super cero. The young Adjuchas, however, was surprised to see his attack continue on like it hadn't made contact with anything. Naruto gave out a cry as a serpent plowed into his back, driving him down into the sand with a crash.

"Haha! It seems you didn't expect that, Niño," Alessandro cried from behind Naruto.

Getting to his feet, Naruto angrily asked, "How the hell did you dodge that?" Dordonii's face was plastered with a large smirk.

"That, my boy, is known as sonido! It's our version of the Shinigami's shunpo," the Espada stated happily.

Naruto sighed, and said, "I don't know what a shunpo is, either."

Alessandro laughed, and said, "It's quite simple, Niño. It makes us go..." Alessandro seemingly disappeared.

"...fast!"

A crushing kick collided with the side of Naruto's head. He went soaring away, only to have his progress halted when a serpent promptly plowed him into the ground.

"You see Niño, I was not able to use sonido before, because it would tire me out too quickly. Drain my reiatsu. However, thanks to my Resurrección, I can easily pull it off," the arrancar stated with a small grin.

Naruto, who by now was standing again, said, "I see...it seems I will have to be careful of that then."

Dordonii laughed heartily.

"How can you be careful? If I move fast enough for you to not see where I am coming from, caution is moot," Alessandro said smugly. Naruto chuckled as the arrancar disappeared again.

"If I cannot see you..."

Naruto caught Dordonii's fist as he appeared and tried to punch him.

He smelled the air, before finishing, "...I will just have to smell you!"

Naruto's open palm rocketed against Dordonii's chest, sending the Espada backwards. Alessandro's serpents came and softly caught him. He was no longer smiling.

"You just can't give up, can you Niño? Fine. Then I guess I will show you no mercy," Alessandro stated, all humor gone from his voice.

First, another serpent appeared from Dordonii's cyclones. Then another, and another. They continued until he had six serpents twisting in front of him. Naruto, by now, was staring with wide eyes. Dordonii looked down at him with only seriousness written on his face.

"Do you see now? Do you see how hopeless this is? Let me show you," the Espada said.

All six serpents blurred forward. Naruto flipped backwards as one serpent smashed into his previous location. He twisted out of the way of another, before ducking under a third. A fourth serpent darted up to him, but Naruto punched it away. The last two suddenly struck, smashing Naruto between them. He let out a cry, blood flying from his mouth, before the two moved away from him. The young Adjuchas fell from the sky and was then hit from the front from a slithering serpent. Naruto was sent skidding through the sand. Another serpent flew down from above driving Naruto into the desert.

This serpent then grabbed Naruto in its beak, before tossing him into the air. Immediately, another serpent rose and swatted Naruto away. Naruto was sent crashing through a forest of dead trees, his progress halted by a particularly large tree. He slumped to the ground, pain screeching through him. Alessandro soon arrived, smirking at Naruto's battered form.

"My, my, Niño. You aren't looking too well. Are you finally ready to die?" Dordonii asked cockily. Naruto looked up at him, before giving the Espada the middle finger.

Said arrancar laughed heartily, saying, "Rebellious until the end I see. Very well. Come, come! Get up so I can kill you!"

Naruto shakily stood up, and took his stance. A serpent came from the left, and Naruto leaped and punched it into the ground. Another came from above, and Naruto spun, punching the serpent away. Another attacked from under him, and Naruto spun away before sliding down its back. A fourth struck from his front, and Naruto fired off his cero. It split the serpent in half, but after his beam dissipated, it seemed to grow back together. It tried to spear him, but Naruto latched onto the serpent's "head." This ended badly as the serpent then whipped downwards, slamming Naruto into a boulder. He gave out a cry of pain as the boulder shattered underneath him. He was then silenced as a cero crashed into him. Dirt and sand flew everywhere, and Naruto was left lying a bloody mess in a crater. Shaking badly, Naruto got back to his feet.

"You just don't quit, do you?" Alessandro asked smugly.

Naruto leaped at him, but was halted as the six serpents flew at him. Showing incredible skill, Naruto jumped from one serpent to another, dodging all of them. Jumping off the last serpent's back, Naruto immediately went toward Dordonii. He reared his fist back, and went for a punch to the Espada's face. As his fist was inches away from Dordonii's face, a serpent grabbed his foot in its beak and threw him away. Naruto cried out as he smashed through a very hard tree. Alessandro approached him Naruto was not moving, but was awake and looking at him with hate-filled eyes. Dordonii smiled down at him, as his serpents moved away to look for something.

Alessandro twirled his mustache, and said, "It is finally over, Niño. Do not worry. It will be quick and painless. I will tell all about how you fought valiantly! But in the end...**died**."

The serpents had returned, carrying an incredibly large rock. Alessandro willed them to raise the stone high into the air. A particularly pointed tip was pointed downwards. Naruto looked up at the Espada with hate.

_I cannot die here I refuse to!_ Naruto thought.

The rock dropped.

_This is not my time to die!_

So close now.

_It will not end like this!_

A crash.

_**It will NOT!**_

/

**Hmph! How pathetic! Even after you've come so far, you are ****still so weak!**

_You...it has been long since I've seen you..._

** Listen to you! Sounding like a beaten puppy! You coward!**

_I am...no coward..._

** Of course you are! Running away from victory by giving up! Fight you little shit!**

_How am I...supposed to fight...__someone like that? He is so strong..._

** Listen to you! "He's too strong!" Dammit boy, you've defeated the like of Uchiha Madara! You can find a way to defeat this wretch!**

_ How? I have no other trump cards...nothing to use..._

** Nothing to use! You're talking**** to what you can use!**

_You? But I can't even feel you. This is the first time I've even know of your presence in four years._

** Stupid whelp. You have not felt me because you have never searched for me. All these years, you have been able to win battles unde****r your own power. You've never been pushed far enough to resort to me. Not until now.**

_I don't want you!_

** And why not, you idiot!**

_ I like being able to win on my own power. Not because of yours, you bastard fox!_

**You're mental, aren't you? Fine, if that's**** how you want it, I'll give you my power.**

_ What?_

**You heard me, boy. I will give you all my power. I had previously given you some when you died. That is why you became an Adjuchas so fast. If you take all my power now, you could very well become a Vasto L****orde.**

_ Why? Why would you be willing to give me all your power?_

**I'd much rather go away valiantly than being killed without being able to stop it.**

_ I see...very well._

**Alright then! Kill him kid!**

_I will...and Kyuubi...thank you._

**Whatever you little shi****t. Just get the job done!**

/

Alessandro looked down upon the giant stone that had been used to splatter the Adjuchas.

He bowed, and said, "It was a good battle, Niño. You are by far one of the most brilliant opponents I have had the experience to battle. Goodbye, little...I never did get your name, did I? Oh well." The Espada's Resurrección receded, and he began to walk away. He had to report his mission successful to Aizen-sama.

There was a small shaking.

Dordonii stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around, disbelief written across his face.

"No," the Espada whispered. The ground began to rumble more violently.

"No...that's just i_mpossible_," Dordonii said to himself.

Red reiatsu began to seep through the ground surrounding the rock. The rumbling was by now an earthquake.

Alessandro looked on with a look of absolute rage, screaming, "Can you just die! Die you bastard, DIE!"

The rock exploded, and a beam of red light rose upwards. Under that red beam stood Uzumaki Naruto, in all his glory. He was entirely different now, he was much shorter than his old form. He looked almost...human.

He was standing at 5'11", and was almost completely naked. His unmentionables were covered by a pair of orange shorts. The shorts were held up by a navy blue sash. His skin was snow white, with red markings running along his torso and biceps. The skin around his wrists and ankles were black rings. The hole in his chest was the size of a grapefruit now, instead of the size of his fist. His mask was much more skeletal-like now. Gone was the swirl on his forehead, now replaced by a nine-point star. The "whisker" marks on his cheeks were now replaced by three small spike on each cheek. He actually had hair now, which was dark blond and long, tied into a pony tail. Horns came out of the side of his head. They were black, and came forward, ending a three-quarters of a foot in front of his face. They seemed to curve inwards before becoming straight in front of his mouth (1). His fingers were tipped with sharp black nails, as were his bare feet.

Naruto looked up at Dordonii Alessandro Del Socacchio, and said one sentence, "I will not die, because I cannot die."

Alessandro did not answer though. He simply stood there, disbelief written on his face.

"You...you are a Vasto Lorde...h-how?" the Espada asked, eyes wide.

Naruto rolled his neck, and said, "It is because I am a devil."

Naruto disappeared from his spot, only to reappear directly in front of Dordonii. His hand closed over Dordonii's face, before driving him head-first into the ground. The force was so immense, it created a crater. Naruto pulled Alessandro back up and then promptly threw him aside like trash. The eccentric Espada smashed through many trees before coming to a halt.

Rising to his feet, Alessandro quickly uttered, "Wind, Giralda!" His Resurrección activated, Dordonii prepared for his opponent. Naruto arrived seconds later, walking calmly.

"It seems that you've reactivated your Resurrección. That's wise. It will make your life a little longer," Naruto stated coldly.

Alessandro glared at him, before screaming, "You may be a Vasto Lorde, but I am an Espada! Before you couldn't even touch me! Now you'll only be able to graze me! You can never hope to defeat-"

His ear was gone. All of a sudden, Dordonii's ear was missing. Only a blood oozing wound remained. He turned around to find Naruto with his ear in pinched between his thumb and forefinger.

Naruto looked into his eyes, and said, "I thought I'd let you know how I feel when you talk."

Anger blazed inside Dordonii.

"You bastard! I will wipe you away," the Espada cried as he prepared to attack. Suddenly, Dordonii's serpents formed, only this time there was a larger number. Now a total of twelve serpents writhed from his cyclones.

A mad look flew across Alessandro's visage, as he yelled, "Do you see! You could not do anything against six! You will be annihilated by twelve!"

All of the serpents stuck at the same time. As they neared Naruto, he did not move one bit. Instead, a small bit of light appeared between the tips of his horns.

"I am suddenly doing this. I have never thought this before. This attack was not in my mind until now. Let me show you," Naruto stated in a monotonous voice. The light at his horns suddenly grew, until it was no bigger than a baseball. It was in the shape of a vortex, pointing outwards.

The light grew brighter, then Naruto pointed towards the serpents, saying, "**Bifurcación Cero.**(2)" The light at his horns exploded, sending twelve rods of light outwards, towards the serpents. The attack disintegrated the serpents, before converging into one solid cero. This new cero then shot forward, right into Alessandro.

The resulting explosion sent shock waves that that could be felt for miles.

/

Dordonii Alessandro Del Socacchio was on his knees. He was covered from head to toe in blood. His Resurrección had faded, and his sword now lay in front of him. Uzumaki stood in front of him, completely still.

"I have won," Naruto stated coldly. Alessandro could only nod. "Very well then," Naruto said as he leaned forward, grasping the hilt of Dordonii's zanpakutō. Alessandro looked up at Naruto, a tired smile on his face.

"It was a good fight. You will make a name for yourself in Hueco Mundo. Maybe even in Las Noches," the soon-to-be former Espada said. Naruto didn't respond. He only pulled his arm back, ready to finish him. Alessandro grinned ruefully, before saying quietly, "See you in hell, Niño."

The blade flashed.

Naruto promptly scalped Dordonii Alessandro Del Socacchio.

Blood splashed across the white sands as the top of the Espada's skull went sailing away. Dordonii stayed in his kneeling position for a couple of seconds before his eyes rolled backwards and his body toppled over.

His brains spilled from the hole in his head.

The Vasto Lorde that killed him reached down, scooped up some of the brain manner, and then placed it in his mouth. Not minding the taste, Naruto then decided to eat the rest of the Espada.

/

Aizen looked at the screen, a tiny grin plastered on his forever calm face.

"He's quite the interesting one, eh Aizen?" Gin said, his large grin and slitted eyes directed at the screen.

Aizen turned away from the screen, and said, "Indeed, Gin. He would make a very special Espada. He'll come soon."

**END**

/

(1)– If you have ever played Diablo, or Diablo 2, it's the horns that Diablo himself has.

(2)- Bifurcación Cero- It means Branching Cero. Like its name, the attack takes a cero, and causes it to branch out in different directions. It then reforms into one cero.

Hot damn! That was a fun chapter to write. I thought the battle was pretty good, and I hope you all do too. The next couple of chapters will have Naruto becoming part of the Espada, so all you that have been waiting, just wait a little while longer. Thanks to all my readers!


	5. IV Ascension in His Descent

**Antagonist**

by Kalashnikov2092

Disclaimer: Bizzaro Kalashnikov2092 owns Bleach and Naruto. But too bad regular Kalashnikov2092 doesn't.

Author's Musings: First of all, I would like to say I'm sorry. I forgot to add a part of the chapter focusing on Soul Society. So now, this will not happen again, for the opening of this chapter will be about Soul Society. Well anyways, enjoy!

/

"The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make their minds to be good or evil." - Hannah Arendt

"Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal." - Thomas Moore

/

IV: Ascencion in His Descent

If one were to look at Uchiha Sasuke's life, they would say he didn't deserve to go to heaven. Let alone be studying and graduating from the Shinigami academy. Yet here he was, donned in the standard Shinigami garb, and sitting in his division's barracks. Life since death had been surprisingly calm for Sasuke. When he arrived in Soul Society, he had immediately searched for his family. He did not have to wait long. The day that Sasuke was reunited with Fugaku and Motoko was easily the happiest moment of his life. This was pretty funny, considering it happened when he was dead.

Sasuke had spent the first year in Soul Society living peacefully with his parents. After this, Sasuke had enrolled in the Shinigami academy, soon becoming top of the class. Times were good. However, there were the bad times. Sasuke had discovered in his first year that his old sensei was also at the academy, his last year, in fact. Him, along with Sarutobi Asuma were the best in their class as well. Both of them were very cold to Sasuke. Kakashi had inquired how he died, and Sasuke shamefully retold his final battle. Kakashi had been furious, just barely keeping himself from becoming violent. Kakashi had then asked if Naruto was in Soul Society as well. Sasuke answered that Naruto's spirit had not been there for the soul burial.

Kakashi had been surprised at that. Sasuke didn't know why, and didn't really look into that. After that, Kakashi completely ignored his former student. Asuma, on the other hand, openly showed his distaste for the Uchiha. To even defect to the man that killed his father was an incredible insult. Then he goes on to try and destroy Konoha? You aren't getting a good note in his book.

After only his second year in the academy, Sasuke had managed to graduate. He was placed in Division 6, under Kuchiki Byakuya. Life was normal there until Kuchiki Rukia returned. By then, Sasuke had progressed all the way to third seat, under lieutenant Abarai Renji. A little while after Rukia was brought back as a prisoner, the ryoka had invaded, fighting and defeating captain-class Shinigami, even his own captain, Byakuya. Then out of nowhere, it was revealed that Aizen had been a traitor, using Rukia and the ryoka as a way to get his hands on something called the Hōgyoku. He had only heard about what it did, something about being able to give Shinigami hollow powers, and give hollows Shinigami powers. It was flat out crazy. I mean, it happened just yesterday. Literally.

Other than that, Sasuke's afterlife was quite nice.

/

Naruto stood in front of a large white dome. This was Las Noches, the place that Dordonii had talked about before he was killed and eaten by Naruto. The Espada only heightened Naruto's already formidable power. Now Naruto carried Dordonii's sword, using its scent to track down where Alessandro came from. Looking at the gigantic structure, Naruto could already feel the powerful opponents lying in wait.

"So it seems you have come," a kind voice called out. Naruto turned to his left to find a man standing there. He was of average height, with brown hair and glasses. He was garbed in Shinigami robes, his sword at his side.

"I have come. This is Las Noches?" Naruto asked.

The man nodded, and said, "Yes, it is."

Naruto stared at him, and said, "What exactly is Las Noches?"

"Las Noches is my palace. A place where the strongest hollows live. You might like it," the man said.

"This is where arrancar come from, isn't it?" Naruto asked.

The man gave a soft smile, and said, "Indeed it is. I take it you killed Alessandro?" Naruto nodded.

"Good. I can also see that you have become a Vasto Lorde. This surprised me," the man said.

"So, I take it you're the one who sent that arrancar after me," Naruto said, his voice monotonous.

The man kept his smile, stating, "Yes. I hope he gave you a good battle. I sent him to test you."

"He didn't know that, did he?" Naruto asked. The Shinigami shook his head. "Do you simply dispose of your subordinates so callously?" Naruto asked.

The man, smile ever-present on his face, said, "I don't think so. He was a strong one, but I wanted to know if you were stronger. You didn't disappoint."

"What is it that you want from me?" Naruto asked, voice deadly serious.

The Shinigami answered, "I am simply proposing a partnership. Come, join my ranks as an arrancar, and as an Espada."

Naruto's head tilted to the side.

"You want me to be and Espada. I don't even know what an Espada is," Naruto stated.

The man chuckled, saying, "The Espada are the ten strongest arrancar in my forces. They are the heads of my fighting forces."

Naruto nodded in understanding.

"So you wish for me to become an arrancar? How exactly is that done?" the Vasto Lorde asked.

The man smiled, and said, "Follow me and you'll find out."

/

Sasuke's day should have been normal. Just stop by the academy and look at some future prospects in 6th Division. However...

Sasuke was not expecting this. No way in hell.

"S-S-Sakura?" Sasuke asked, extremely surprised. The pink haired girl looked up, and her eyes widened exponentially.

"SASUKE!" she cried, suddenly tackling him around the waist. He wrestled to get the now crying girl off of him.

"Sakura, it's good to see you too, but can you get off? We're causing a scene," Sasuke said nervously. He had built up quite the legion of fan girls over the years, and many were now glowering at the pinkette.

The girl noticed this, and answered back with an explosive glare. The other girls were surprised by this, and backed off. Her and Sasuke got up, and smiled at each other.

"So, Sakura. How did you die?" Sasuke immediately asked.

The girl sighed, and said, "An ANBU mission. We were ambushed by the Mizukage on an infiltration mission into Kirigakure, and he had gotten wind of it. So, to ensure my team would live, I stayed behind to delay the Mizukage. He killed me." The look on her face showed the sadness she suffered from her passing.

"At least you died to protect you teammates. I died doing the exact opposite," Sasuke stated shamefully.

A faraway look was then plastered on her face.

"Naruto," she whispered. Sakura then looked at Sasuke, and asked, "Is Naruto here?"

Sasuke shook his head.

"He was never present for the soul burial. He might have gotten his later, and then decided to just live peacefully somewhere in Soul Society," Sasuke said.

Sakura scoffed, and said, "That baka doesn't know the meaning of peace. He would have definitely become a Shinigami."

Sasuke nodded, and then said, "Speaking of Shinigami, you're enrolled in the academy?"

She smiled, saying, "Yeah, I signed up as soon as I heard that there was a special medical division in the Gotei 13. I kind of like helping people medically."

"So it seems that our old team is now almost complete," a voice suddenly said.

The two of them looked up, and Sakura cried, "Kakashi-sensei!" She then proceeded to hug her old teacher. He chuckled and patted her back.

"It's good to see you too, Sakura. Though, admittedly, I would have liked to have seen you arrive here a lot longer than this," Kakashi said. He was dressed in the normal Shinigami robes. He seemed to have found one of his signature face masks in the afterlife, as well as an eye patch to cover his left eye. On his left bicep was a patch, signifying him as third seat in 8th Division, under Kyoraku Shunsui.

"Well this is an interesting reunion. I'm surprised you're even talking to Sasuke," Kakashi said, his cold gaze focusing on said Uchiha.

Sakura tilted her head in confusion.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Sakura asked, puzzled.

"I don't know, maybe the small fact that he defected to Orochimaru. Or maybe because he was part of Akatsuki. There is also the deal with him trying to destroy Konoha. Oh, there is also that little incident with him KILLING Naruto!" Kakashi all but yelled.

Sakura was taken aback before she grew angry.

"That was all Naruto's fault! He also tried to kill Sasuke, and he did! You're dead because Akatsuki came looking for him in Konoha! He made all of you leave me!" Sakura yelled.

Pressure, unlike anything she felt, crashed down on her.

She fell to her knees, and Kakashi said coldly, "I died fighting for my village. I would not change that fact for anything. Sasuke was killed because Naruto was also fighting for his village. The amount of despair that that boy had felt in his life was horrendous. He was forced to live as an outcast, kicked out of the orphanage before he was even ten. He had to harbor the Kyuubi to keep us all safe. All he got was a huge wad of spit in his face for it. He had tried so hard to make people see otherwise. It took him a long time, but he had achieved this with most of the shinobi population. Then he dies, and the person he cared for the most in that world spits in his face again. From now on, I want nothing to do with either of you."

And with that, Kakashi left.

/

"So what is your name?" the man asked Naruto as they walked down a hallway in Las Noches.

"It is customary to give your own before asking for another's," Naruto answered.

The man chuckled, and said, "I am sorry. My name is Sosuke Aizen. And you are..."

"Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto answered.

"Well Naruto, what do you think of Las Noches?" Aizen asked kindly.

Naruto looked around, before answering, "It's quite spacious. This is good, for if there is battle within this place, your soldiers would be able to move around and fight freely."

Aizen smiled, and said, "That is a very astute observation Naruto."

"Oh! Aizen-sama, I did not know you had returned," an arrancar said as she rounded the corner. If Naruto could raise an eyebrow at her, he would. She had short purple hair, with a circular, spiky pin on the left. She wore a white outfit, consisting of a frilly dress, large poofy sleeves that cut off at her shoulder, and knee-high boots. She also wore fingerless, evening-style gloves, and leg warms attached to garters at her thighs. She also had wings on her back, but Naruto couldn't tell if they were part of her outfit, or actually functional.

"Ah, hello Cirucci. I just got back," Aizen stated with a smile.

The girl nodded, before turning to look at Naruto quizzically.

"Who is he?" she asked meekly.

Aizen turned to Naruto, saying, "Ah, yes. Cirucci, this is Uzumaki Naruto. He is a Vasto Lorde that has agreed to become an arrancar. Naruto, this is one of my Espada, Cirucci Thunderwitch." Naruto nodded towards Cirucci, who was surprised to hear that this hollow was a Vasto Lorde. Introductions complete, Aizen ushered Naruto to follow him into the next room.

"Alright. We are here, Naruto, would you please sit there, in the circle," Aizen asked.

Naruto nodded and sat down. "Alright then Naruto. I will be using a different approach with you. You see, yesterday, I acquired a little something called the Hōgyoku. I have never used it before, and I have been waiting since yesterday to use it on you," Aizen said softly. He produced a small cube with a black ball in the center of it.

Naruto's head tilted, and he asked, "What does it do?"

"It gives hollows Shinigami powers a lot easier than the old way of creating arrancar. Thus, you will be a lot stronger than what you would be if we used the other method," Aizen answered.

"I see. If it makes me more powerful, then proceed."

And so Aizen did.

/

Naruto awoke after what seemed like days. He looked around. Aizen was standing to his right, his eyes a little wide. In front of him was Cirucci. She was on her knees, gasping for breath. This is when Naruto noticed how overpowering his reiatsu was. He quickly suppressed it, and Cirucci seemed to calm. He slowly got to his feet, before noticing he was naked.

"Uh...do you have any clothes for me?" he asked.

A small, victorious smile appeared on Aizen's face.

"Yes. Cirucci, take him to the wardrobe," Aizen ordered.

The woman nodded, before getting to her feet. She looked at Naruto and blushed.

"Hurry, follow me," she said as she turned and began to walk away.

"Oh, yeah...sure," Naruto quickly said, following the female arrancar. The both of them walked down one of Las Noches' many corridors, searching for the wardrobe.

"So...Do I look different?" Naruto asked.

Cirucci raised her eyebrow, before saying, "Yeah, you look a bit different. Seems to me you act different too."

"Really? How did I act before?" Naruto asked.

"Well for one, you didn't show any emotion. Not to mention you had an aura of doom and gloom around you," Cirucci said.

Naruto chuckled, before saying, "Well thank goodness that's gone. I don't think I would like that."

"Like what?" Cirucci asked.

Naruto shrugged, saying, "You know, being an emotionless jerk."

"I didn't call you an emotionless jerk," the female Espada growled.

Naruto waved his arms in front of himself in defense, quickly saying, "No! I wasn't saying that you did! It just sounded like I was acting that way!"

Cirucci snorted.

"You sure are acting a lot more human," Cirucci stated with a smirk.

Naruto shrugged, saying, "Well I _was_ human...once."

"We're here," Cirucci said as they arrived at a gigantic door.

"Okay! I guess I'll go get dressed then," Naruto said as he opened the door and entered the room. Immediately, he frowned. All the clothes he could see were white. "Man, I hope they got more than this crap," he said. A few hours of searching through what felt like miles of aisles later, Naruto was able to find the clothes he wanted.

He looked at himself in a mirror. He was dressed in a black turtlenecked trench coat and white pants. He wore black shinobi sandals (he was surprised to find these). His physical appearance was different as well. His hair was a lot shorter, back to its length when he was human. His hair was still a dark blond, though. His whiskers were back as well, this time in blood red. The remnants of his hollow mask were the three spikes on each cheek. The whisker marks would come from these spike, which were on the park of the cheek that was over his jaw hinge. His eyes were bright red, but not slitted like they would be before.

Interestingly enough, his sword had materialized midway through his search. It was about four and a half feet in length, with a foot long handle. The sword's blade has a slight red tint, and the edge was solid black. The hilt was in black and orange, with a red hilt and guard. The sheath was black with orange and red swirls. The guard was in the shape of counter-clockwise spiral. He then hooked the blade on the left side of his hip.

He looked at his appearance with a smile. Naruto was glad to see his old face again.

"My, my. Don't you look snazzy," a voice called out from behind him. He turned to see Cirucci standing there with a grin.

He grinned at her, saying, "Yeah, I'm not half bad."

She chuckled, and said, "Come on. Now that you're done, we need to report to Aizen."

Naruto nodded, and followed the Espada.

/

"Ah, Naruto, I see you have your clothes and sword," Aizen said with a smile.

Naruto nodded.

"That's good. So, have you heard the call yet?" Aizen asked cryptically.

Naruto seemed to understand this, saying, "I have. It's the name of my sword, isn't it?"

Aizen smiled, saying, "Indeed it is. Why don't you try calling it?"

Naruto shrugged, and said, "Alright, I'll give this Resurrección thing a try." Naruto pulled his sword from its sheath, amazingly fluent as he did so. He closed his eyes...

"**Mutilar...**(1)"

He opened his eyes.

"**Malévolo Verdugo!**(2)"

Hollows that were miles away quivered at the reiatsu.

/

Aizen applauded.

"Well done Naruto. That was quite a display," the man said with a smile.

Naruto grinned and bowed in thanks.

"So then, Naruto. Would you like to be an Espada?" Aizen asked.

Naruto hummed in thought.

"Not quite...this moment," Naruto said slowly.

Aizen's eyebrow raised a bit.

"Why not?" the man asked.

"I want to wait. Wait and see who the other Espada will be. When you have gathered them all, I will pick one to fight, and then take his place," Naruto answered evenly.

"What if the one you choose to fight is stronger than you?" Aizen once again asked.

Naruto gave a chuckle, before saying, "You know that there will be none more powerful than me. And even if I do fight someone that can defeat me, that would mean you have an even better Espada. It's a win-win situation."

Aizen rubbed his chin, and said, "Yes, I suppose so. Very well then. What will you do in the mean time?"

Naruto grinned, and said, "Well, I'll just go and train. Learn how to use bala and sonido."

Aizen nodded, and said, "Then take Cirucci. She knows of these techniques, and she could easily teach you them."

Naruto nodded, before turning to the female Espada.

"Alright then! Let's go!" Naruto cried.

Cirucci could only sigh. She was in for some interesting times.

**END**

/

(1)- Mutilar—means Mutilate in Spanish.

(2)- Malévolo Verdugo—translates into Malicious Executioner.

This chapter may have lacked action, but it's going to set up the story for a good bit of it later. The next chapters will finally have our hero doing a little bit of battle with some Shinigami and Ichigo's crew. See you next time, and thanks for reading!


	6. V Diez Que Amor Sangre

**Antagonist**

by Kalashnikov2092

Disclaimer: Forest Gump felt like running. He also felt like having Kalashnikov2092 not own Bleach or Naruto.

Author's Musings: Bam, mother fucker! I'm back with a new chapter of Antagonist, and it will up the ante. Naruto will return to Las Noches to meet the new Espada. He also will be fighting one. Which one will it be? Read on to find out.

/

"You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it." - Margaret Thatcher

"I would be willing, yes glad, to see a battle every day during my life." - George Armstrong Custer

/

V: Diez Que Amor Sangre

An explosion opened the door. That was the thing that all the Espada noticed at this time. They rose, ready to do battle, until Aizen raised his hand, halting them. A smile ran across his face.

"So, he is back," Aizen said to no one in particular. Two figures emerged from the smoke, one a blond arrancar, the other Cirucci Thunderwitch. The blond arrancar had a gigantic grin lighting up his face.

"Yo Aizen! I'm back!" the boy cried happily. His grin disappeared as a blade was pressed at his throat. He turned to his right to find an arrancar with an animal skull mask.

"To barge into Las Noches is one thing, but to then address Aizen-sama in such a disrespectful way, your fate is sealed," The arrancar said, his voice deadly.

"Rudobon, that's quite enough," Aizen called. The said arrancar stiffened for a moment, before saying,

"But Aizen-sama..." A hand clamped around Rudobon's wrist, and the arrancar turned back to Naruto. The boy was grinning at him.

His grip tightened, and he said, "I believe the man said to let me..." Rudobon cried out as his wrist shattered. The grin on Naruto's face was long gone, replaced by a look of pure seriousness. The arrancar jumped backwards, out of Naruto's grip. He held his sword forward ready to attack when-

"**Go**."

Reiatsu, crushingly powerful, rained down in the room. Immediately, Rudobon fell to his hands and knees, gasping for breath. The rest of the Espada looked on with wide eyes. None of them had felt reiatsu this powerful since-

And suddenly it stopped. Rudobon breathed deeply, and the Espada relaxed. Naruto's smile returned, turning back to the Espada.

"So! These are the Espada, I take it?" Naruto asked. Aizen, who was still smiling, nodded. Naruto's grin became even bigger, as he asked, "Alright! Who's who?" Aizen stood up from his seat and looked upon his subordinates.

First, he pointed to a large tanned fellow, with the remnants of his hollow mask being the lower half of a jaw bone on his chin. "This is Yammy Riyalgo, both the Tenth and Zero Espada," Aizen said, and Yammy grinned in pride.

Naruto's eyebrow raised, and he asked, "I know that the numbers go from 10 to 1, weakest to strongest. However, if this Espada is both 10 and zero, that would make him both the weakest and the strongest."

"Yes, that is true. Yammy is the weakest when he is normal, but is the strongest after his Resurrección," Aizen retorted.

Naruto let a small smile touch his lips. This one had piqued his interest.

Aizen then pointed to a strange looking arrancar, whose face was hidden behind a large mask with eight holes for vision.

"That is Aaroniero Arruruerie, the Novena Espada," Aizen stated. The said Espada nodded towards Naruto, who nodded back.

The next Espada Aizen gestured to had pink hair, and his hollow mask remnant being in the form of the frames of a pair of glasses.

The Espada smirked, and Aizen said, "He is Szayel Aporro Grantz, the Octava Espada."

Naruto frowned. He didn't like the feeling he got from Grantz.

Aizen turned towards a dark-skinned arrancar, whose remnants consisted of spikes on his head, forming a mohawk. There was also a pair of skull-shaped earrings and a bone necklace.

"This stoic gentleman is Zommari Leroux. He is the Séptima Espada."

Zommari did not look at Naruto, only raising his hand in greeting.

The next Espada was a blue haired arrancar, with a right jawbone as his remnant.

"The Sexta Espada is this man here, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez," Aizen introduced.

Grimmjow looked at him, a bloodthirsty grin covering his visage.

Aizen then looked at an extremely tall but lanky arrancar, dressed in similar clothes as the other Espada, but with the chest of his jacket opened in a heart shape. The jacket also had an overblown spoon-like hood. His face sported a wide grin, as well as an eye patch covering his left eye. He also had shoulder-length black hair.

"This is Nnoitera Jiruga, the Quinta Espada," Aizen said, and Naruto's eyes widened as he remembered the name. He would be silent for now.

The said Espada sneered at him, before looking away.

Aizen continued, and Naruto looked at the next Espada. He was kind of short, with messy black hair and pale skin. One of his striking features was teal lines running down his face from his eyes, almost like a trail of tears. His face was very melancholic, and was framed by his hollow mask remnant, a sort of broken helmet on the left side of his head, with a horn at the top.

"This young man is Ulquiorra Schiffer, the Cuarta Espada."

The newly introduced Espada looked up, and said, "Aizen-sama, who exactly is this person?"

Aizen's expression did not change as he said, "Be patient Ulquiorra. You'll all find out in due time."

The Cuarta Espada nodded, and Aizen then directed his attention on the only female Espada.

She was beautiful, with spiky blond hair done in three braids, green eyes, and tan skin. She wore a very interesting jacket which began halfway up her breasts, showing quite a bit of the lower portion of them. it then came up into a collar that ended a little bit above her nose. The zipper on her jacket went opened from the bottom up, it seemed. The jacket had long sleeves that ended in black gloves that reached her fingertips. The only visible remnants Naruto could see were small plates on her cheeks.

"The woman you see here is Halibel, the Tercera Espada," Aizen stated, and Halibel bowed a bit to Naruto. The young arrancar bowed back.

The next Espada was a short but stout tanned man. He looked old, thanks to his white hair and mustache. His face was covered in scars, one over his right eye, causing it to be shut, and another going down the left side of his chin to his chest. His hollow remnant was a white crown atop of his head.

"Barragan Luisenbarn is the Segunda Espada."

The old man grunted before looking at Naruto.

The final Espada was leaning on his left hand, staring off lazily. He was completely normal looking, with wavy brown hair and a bit of stubble on his chin. His remnants of being a hollow were a necklace made out of a bottom jaw.

"And finally, we have Stark, the Primera. Don't let his lazy demeanor fool you. He is quite strong," Aizen said, concluding his introductions.

"Everyone, this is Uzumaki Naruto. He will be challenging one of you for your place in Espada."

Everyone present suddenly took notice. Stark sighed, and said, "Man, it isn't me, is it? I'm in no mood to fight today."

Grimmjow sneered, and said, "Speak for yerself! I have no qualms with beating the shit out of this little punk."

Nnoitera cackled and said, "Back off, Grimmjow. If anyone gets blondie, it's me!"

Szayel smirked, before saying, "I don't know. He could be a good experiment."

Barragan snorted, saying, "Jeez, this is so ridiculous. A kid like this can come in and challenge us like this."

"I like this! It would be a good way to test my strength," Yammy cried arrogantly.

Aaroniero looked on quizzically, as he said, "I'm not sure. A battle with him could be risky. I felt his reiatsu before, and it's quite frightening."

Zommari nodded, going on to say, "A good observation, Aaroniero. He seems like a powerful opponent. Fighting him could be risky."

Halibel sighed. "Is battle the only way to decide this new Espada?" she said under her breath.

"You."

Naruto's finger pointed forward, right at Nnoitera. The Espada seemed to smile in delight. \

"I choose you, because we have a history, Nnoitera Jiruga," Naruto said, a small grin on his face.

The Espada raised his eyebrow, saying, "How do you figure?"

Naruto grinned at him.

"Remember back to when you were an Adjuchas. You fought against a dog-like hollow, which ended in a draw," Naruto said.

The Espada's eyes widened as he remembered.

"You!" Nnoitera exclaimed.

Naruto smirked, saying, "Yes, that hollow was me."

A lunatic grin spread over Nnoitera's face, and he immediately jumped up from his seat. He pulled on a chain, and a long staff-like weapon flew to him. It was a large weapon, consisting of a long handle attached to two steel crescents that were joined by their backs. The crescents were put on the handle vertically, forming sort of a club.

"Alright then! I've been waiting a long time to see you again! Well then, Naruto! Let's fight," Nnoitera cried, ready to strike.

However, Aizen's kind voice called out, "Nnoitera, could we please move outside before you battle. I do enjoy this room being in one piece."

The Espada chuckled embarrassingly, before nodding.

/

The two arrancar stood in the desert, a little bit away from the dome of Las Noches. Nnoitera had his weapon hefted up on his shoulder, a maniac smile lighting his features. Naruto stood opposite to him, a small smile dancing upon his lips.

"So then, shall we begin?" Naruto asked.

Nnoitera laughed, saying, "I'm way ahead of you!"

Lightning quick, the Quinta Espada launched his weapon at Naruto. The young hollow spun away from the attack, before dashing at the ecstatic Espada. Nnoitera pulled on the chain attached to his weapon, and it came soaring back at Naruto. Not taking his eyes off the Espada, Naruto back flipped over the attack. The moment he landed on his feet, the blond arrancar shot forward, fist reared back.

His opponent swung his weapon horizontally, and Naruto ducked under the swipe. Leaping upwards, Naruto's fist shot at Nnoitera's jaw. The tall Espada jumped backwards, narrowly avoiding the attack. Nnoitera retaliated with a left hook soon after. Naruto surprisingly caught the blow, before turning it aside with ease. Nnoitera stumbled from the forward momentum, and Naruto struck with a flying kick to the Espada's side. Jiruga went flying away, before rolling to a stop. A grin was still on his face, albeit a bit smaller.

"You're quick on your feet, brat. However, I can go faster too," Nnoitera said.

Suddenly, the Espada was behind Naruto, his weapon raised to crush the arrancar's skull. At Nnoitera swung downward, Naruto shot backward, folding his body enough to fit through the Espada's legs. Then unfolding himself, Naruto landed on his feet. Nnoitera's attack smashed into the sand, but this didn't seem to anger the Espada at all. He turned, dragging his zanpakutō through the sand in preparation for another swing. The attack came a split second later, and Naruto leaned backwards to dodge. The steel crescents missed him, and the aspiring Espada rolled to the left before jumping up to throw a kick. Nnoitera blocked with his forearm, but Naruto's knee bent, wrapping his let around the Espada's arm. Naruto pulled the limb downward, leaving Nnoitera wide open for attack. Naruto's fist shot forward, but instead of punching, Naruto fired off a bala point blank in the Espada's face.

Nnoitera was sent rocketing away, right into a huge white stone pillar sticking up from the desert. The spectators looked on, impressed at Naruto so far.

"His agility is impressive, as well as his ability to think on his feet. I would have used sonido to escaped that one attack, instead of leaping through Nnoitera's legs," Stark said as he looked on.

Grimmjow scoffed, before saying, "He probably didn't use sonido because he can't."

"No, that isn't it."

The Espada turned around to find Cirucci Thunderwitch also watching the battle.

"Naruto is a master of sonido. He simply is fast enough to not have to use it until he really has to," the gothic lolita said. The onlookers turned their attention back to the battle.

Nnoitera pulled himself out of the indention he caused in the pillar. He looked happy.

"Heh. Not bad kid. Your bala was able to scuff up my hierro(1)," the Quinta Espada said arrogantly. True to what he said, the skin on his face sported a few minor scratches. His eye patch was gone, revealing both his hollow hole and remnants. His hole was placed where his left eye would be, and his remnants consisted of little teeth lining the hole.

Not a second later, Nnoitera shot as Naruto, spinning his large weapon. He tossed it, and Naruto jumped over it. Nnoitera also leaped into the air, right at the blond arrancar. The two met in mid air, and Nnoitera initiated with a right hook. Naruto spun to his left, dodging the blow. Using the momentum of his spin, Naruto lashed out with a vicious kick. Nnoitera's left hand came up to catch Naruto's ankle, negating the attack. Nnoitera threw the arrancar, sending hims speeding away. The Espada quickly snatched up his weapon, before shooting after Naruto. Nnoitera caught up with the flying boy, before swinging his massive zanpakutō at the blond. Naruto countered with a quick bala that smashed into Nnoitera's weapon, jolting it backwards. Naruto's hands reached up and took hold of the Espada's shirt, before he planted his feet into Nnoitera's stomach. Naruto pulled with his hands, while pushing with his legs.

The two switched positions, Naruto now above Nnoitera in mid air. The young arrancar flipped in mid air, lashing out with a brutal ax kick to Nnoitera's chest. The Espada went falling down to the desert, but not before yanking on the chain attached to his weapon. The massive zanpakutō flew down, catching Naruto in its bottom crescent. The boy cried out in surprise as Nnoitera swung the chain. Naruto was sent crashing into the sand along with Nnoitera's weapon. Nnoitera wasn't much better off, making harsh contact with the desert at the same time. Seemingly unaffected, the Espada leaped to his feet. A grin on his face, Nnoitera pulled on the chain again. His weapon began to return to him, until Naruto also got to his feet, grabbing the weapon. With surprising strength, Naruto pulled back. Nnoitera stumbled forward, and that was all Naruto needed. Shoving his unoccupied forward, Naruto fired off a blinding yellow cero. Seeing this, Nnoitera's tongue stuck out, before firing off his own cero.

The two "hollow flashes" met in a brilliant clash, before exploding beautifully. Almost immediately, the two arrancar dashed at each other. Nnoitera pulled his zanpakutō back to himself, before taking a vertical slash at Naruto. The boy leaned to his left, dodging the attack easily. Naruto's left fist raged forward immediately. Nnoitera's chin felt the crushing blow, snapping the Espada's head back. Nnoitera's foot then snapped up, ramming into Naruto's chest. The blond skidded backwards from the strength in the attack. Naruto quickly found footing again, before launching himself back at Nnoitera. Said arrancar swung his weapon diagonally, but Naruto leaped forward, over the swipe. The blond's hands wrapped around Nnoitera's face, before Naruto smashed the Espada's head into the ground. On the ground, Naruto proceeded to pummel the Espada, fist after fist raining down on his face. Growling, Nnoitera wrapped his chain around Naruto's neck and pulled. Naruto gritted his teeth as he tried to pull the chain off, but Nnoitera had already swung the boy into the ground. Hard.

The aspiring Espada got to his feet, and Nnoitera pulled the chain even tighter. Naruto glared at the tall arrancar, before grabbing the chain. With a powerful tug, Naruto pulled Nnoitera towards him. Naruto's fist went flying into Nnoitera's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. The pull on the chain loosened, and the blond pulled free from it. Now unrestricted, Naruto's hand grasped hold of Nnoitera's hair, pulling him down into a brutal knee lift. Nnoitera's head jerked upwards, before Naruto drove the Espada face-first into the sand. Not letting up, the blond hoisted Nnoitera up from his hair. He then threw the lanky hollow by his hair. Nnoitera went smashing through another white pillar, before skidding through the sand.

Grimmjow whistled.

"That had to hurt," the Sexta Espada said with a smirk.

Halibel looked arm with her arms crossed over her ample chest.

"The boy's skill is quite high, though his methods brutal," the only female Espada stated.

Stark nodded in agreement, saying, "The kid is definitely strong. Nnoitera is pretty strong in his own right, and the fact the kid is doing so well against him shows his potential."

Barragan snorted.

"The brat hasn't shown anything to impress me yet. All these attacks are nothing if he can't get through Nnoitera's hierro," Barragan growled.

Szayel grinned, before pointing towards the battle.  
"Look," the pink haired Espada said.

Nnoitera got to his feet, and there was blood on his face. His upper lip was split, and was bleeding a good bit.

"It seems I got through your hierro, Nnoitera," Naruto taunted.

The Espada glared at him, saying, "What, this little nick? Heh, that wound ain't shit! Just delivering shitty little cuts won't be enough to kill me!"

Naruto smirked.

"That's true. However, now that I know how much harder I have to deck you, there won't be any more tiny cuts," Naruto said as he got in a battle stance.

The Quinta Espada yelled in anger, dashing at the blond. Naruto ducked under a right hook with ease. Then, Nnoitera swung with his zanpakutō, directing the attack at Naruto's feet. The attack hit, sending the boy spinning. When Naruto's head was parallel to the ground, Nnoitera struck out with a kick, stomping Naruto's head into the ground. The Espada wasn't finished, quickly grabbing the boy's leg and pulling his head out of the sand. The lanky arrancar hefted the blond over his head with ease. Nnoitera then slammed Naruto full force into the ground.

Letting go of Naruto's leg, Nnoitera then raised his weapon above his head with both hands. Laughing in delight, Nnoitera swung down with full force. A huge cloud of dust was created from the force of the blow. Silence.

/

"Well, that's it. The kid got too cocky and got himself killed," Yammy said as began to walk away. The rest turned to follow, only to stop as they found Aizen standing there. He smiled.

"Where are you all going?" the man asked.

Ulquiorra answered, "The boy is dead, Aizen-sama. The battle is over."

Aizen smiled a bit bigger, before walking forward to the edge of the building.

"No. This battle is not over. Not yet. There is still much to be seen."

/

Nnoitera stared on with a wide eye. The kid had caught his attack with one hand.

"Hm. You talked of hierro. Well look at me, I haven't a scratch on me. Your blade has taken more damage than I have," Naruto said with a smirk. Nnoitera looked down at his weapon, to find that the spot where Naruto was holding it was cracked slightly.

Anger boiled up in the Quinta Espada, and he roared, "Don't get cocky you son of a bitch! I'm nowhere near through with you!" Nnoitera raised his zanpakutō to strike again. Naruto rolled out of the way before jumping backwards.

Nnoitera's mouth opened, and his tongue shot out again. He fired his cero at Naruto without hesitation. The boy stood still, even as the attack was only a few feet away.

Nnoitera laughed, screaming, "You should have dodged, retard! Now you're gonna die!" Naruto seemed to about to respond, but he actually only opened his mouth. Nnoitera laughed even louder at this. His laughter died out as soon as Naruto swallowed his cero. The Espada's eyes widened as old memories entered his head.

_Neliel!_

A second later, Naruto opened his mouth and fired the devastating Cero Double. The attack struck Nnoitera, and a massive explosion rocked Hueco Mundo.

/

"Holy shit! What the fuck was that?" Grimmjow cried in surprise.

Szayel looked on with narrowed eyes, saying, "That is known as Cero Double. A hollow swallows an opponent's cero, before firing it back out, combined with their own cero. I've only met one other arrancar that could use that attack."

Aizen smiled, and said, "Neliel Tu Oderschvank, the former Tercera who seemed to disappear overnight."

Szayel Aporro Grantz couldn't help but frown at the name.

/

Nnoitera staggered out of the smoke. His right arm and shoulder were bleeding quite a bit. It seemed that the Quinta Espada had dodged to left at the last second, only taking minor damage. He looked at Naruto, a vicious glared directed his way.

"You little shit. To use such an attack just pisses me off. I'm gonna kill you real slow," the Espada said menacingly.

Naruto laughed, and said, "All's fair in love and war."

Nnoitera took this opportunity to strike, tossing his weapon at Naruto. Naruto jumped over the attack, before launching a volley of bala at the Quinta. Nnoitera weaved through the attacks, before pulling his weapon back and rushing at Naruto. Taking Naruto by surprise, he attacked first with the end of his handle. The blond blocked the strike with his open palm. Nnoitera then spun his zanpakutō into a horizontal swipe at Naruto's head. The aspiring Espada blocked the attack with his arms, but was still sent skidding away. Before Naruto could gain proper footing, Nnoitera smashed his weapon into Naruto's chest.

The blond arrancar went tumbling through the sand, before rolling to his feet. The Espada was there again, weapon raised high above his head. Naruto caught the swing in between his hands. This left Naruto defenseless as Nnoitera kicked the blond in the stomach. Naruto flew backwards, ramming into one of the pillars for once. Reacting quickly, Naruto launched himself from the indentation. He zipped at Nnoitera, fist reaching for the Espada's cheek. The lanky arrancar blocked, however. Using his large weapon as a shield, Nnoitera turned Naruto's attack away. Off balance, Naruto was struck with the handle of Nnoitera's zanpakutō. He thudded against the ground, and Nnoitera went for another swing. Naruto shifted his weight to his left, and pushed himself up a bit. His right arm then snaked down to take hold of his own sword. The blade flew from its sheath to meet with Nnoitera's own weapon. There was a short standstill, before Naruto's sword cleaved through Nnoitera's zanpakutō. The top parts of the upper crescent were cut cleanly through.

Naruto rolled away from an astounded Quinta Espada, and got to his feet.

He was smirking, and said, "What's the matter, Nnoitera? Is it so surprising that my blade can cut through yours? It shouldn't be, considering the fact that my hand was doing something similar. The last time I checked, a sword was stronger than a hand."

Fury exploded on Nnoitera's visage. The irate Espada went for a forward thrust, hoping to decapitate Naruto. Naruto's blade flashed up, blocking with its edge. The sword ran clean through Nnoitera's zanpakutō, before slicing into the Espada's chest. The Quinta Espada's eye widened exponentially at the sight of his own blood. Jiruga quickly leaped backwards, holding the ruins of his zanpakutō in his hands.

"Well look at this, Nnoitera. Your weapon's for shit, now. I think this battle should come to an..."

"**End**."

Naruto was behind Nnoitera. From the center of Nnoitera's chest stuck out Naruto's blade. He looked down at it with a wide eye. Without a word, Naruto pulled his blade out and sheathed it.

"It is done," Naruto said as he began to walk away.

"Done? Who said shit about this battle being done?"

Naruto turned back around to find Nnoitera facing him.

"I'll show you fucking done! Prey, SANTA TERESA!(2)"

Reiatsu, thick and violent, oozed off of Nnoitera's person. Naruto looked on with an emotionless face as Nnoitera's zanpakutō glowed, before seeming to explode. Smoke rose up, blocking the Quinta from sight. Naruto continued to look on, his face stoic. Suddenly, something flashed from the smoke. A gigantic scythe, on a beeline for Naruto's neck. Still emotionless, Naruto drew his sword in a blink of an eye, blocking the gigantic blade. Suddenly, another scythe emerged, striking downwards. The aspiring Espada turned a little bit, dodging the massive weapon. He ducked under another decapitating blow from a third scythe. He quickly pushed himself off the ground, dodging a swipe from a fourth scythe. Using a quick sonido, Naruto moved from danger.

That is when Nnoitera emerged from the smoke. The first and most important thing Naruto noticed about the hollow was that he now had four arms. Each held a gigantic scythe. On his sides, over his kidneys, were bony plates. He now had curved horns, the left longer than the right, creating the look of a crescent moon. Nnoitera's hollow remnants were now covering more of his face, looking more like an eye patch. The teeth around his hollow hole were now more vicious and sharp as well.

The Quinta Espada smiled viciously.

"Are you ready, you fuck? I'm gonna lop you ta' bits, now," Nnoitera cried as he exploded forward. Naruto leaned backwards, dodging two scythes. He quickly planted his sword in the ground before pushing backwards. This propelled him out of the way of a downward swing that would have gored his stomach. Flipping, Naruto landed back on his feet, just in time to block the fourth scythe with his blade. Pushing the weapon aside, Naruto went forward, turning his body in such a way that it would fit through a gap in between two scythes. He gave a thrust with his sword directed at Nnoitera's face, but the Espada leaned away from the attack. Nnoitera quickly jumped back, pulling his scythes with him in hopes to chop Naruto into bits. Naruto saw this, however, and jumped a bit, twisting his body in the perfect way for all the scythes to miss him.

Naruto landed on his feet, and immediately fired a cero from his fingertips. Showing incredible speed, Nnoitera leaped over the "hollow flash," before answering with his own. Naruto swallowed the attack, before firing it back out as a Cero Double. The Quinta cursed, before swinging his scythes. They dug into the side of the Cero Double, and Nnoitera used this to pull himself out of the way of the deadly attack. The Espada landed and took off at the aspiring Espada, scythes reared back to brutalize the blond. Naruto dashed forward at the last second, ducking down and making his body as small as possible. All the scythes passed over him, and now Naruto was inside Nnoitera's guard. Seeing this, the Quinta tried to get back, but he was already being smashed with a point-blank bala. The Espada was sent tumbling backwards before flipping back to his feet.

Immediately, Nnoitera fired another cero. This time, however, Naruto did not swallow the attack.

Instead, he raised his hand and uttered, "Gran Rey Cero(3)."

A massive cero exploded forth, dwarfing the size of Nnoitera's. The two attacks met, but Naruto's Gran Rey Cero easily overcame Nnoitera's normal one. The Espada's eye widened, and he quickly held his scythes in front of himself to block. The Gran Rey Cero hit, and an explosion caused what felt like an earthquake. A pillar of light flew into the sky, seeming to punch a hole right through it. The pillar widened, before stopping a few feet away from Las Noches.

"Whoa! That was a close one," Stark exclaimed. The rest of the Espada had wide eyes.

"He can use Gran Rey Cero! Who exactly is this kid?" Aaroniero shouted in astonishment.

Aizen, however, had a moderately sized smile on his face.

"Yes, he is quite the interesting one. I'm very glad I took interest in him all those years ago," Aizen stated.

Cirucci grinned, and said, "You haven't seen nothing yet, Aizen-sama. If he had fired off that Gran Rey when he was in his Resurrección, the radius would at least be doubled. Not to mention all of his other cero."

Halibel raised her eyebrow, asking, "What does that mean?"

Cirucci smirked at the Tercera, and said, "Of all of Naruto's abilities, his greatest is his incredible skill over controlling cero. He has made at least five other cero's during training. And all of them are highly deadly."

Aizen grinned.

"Very interesting indeed…"

/

Naruto looked at his opponent. Nnoitera's arms were gone, completely obliterated by his Gran Rey Cero. The Quinta's chest was a bloody mess, but overall fine.

"This time, Nnoitera, it truly is over. All four of your arms are gone. You're finished," Naruto said as he grasped the Espada by his hair. Then, came the laughter. Naruto raised an eyebrow at this odd behavior.

"What are you laugh-"

Naruto stopped mid-sentence as six fists plowed into him at once. He flew backwards, but quickly gained footing. Naruto looked at Nnoitera and frowned. The Espada had regrown the four arms he lost, along with two new ones. He was now equipped with six scythes, all of which had grown out of the Espada's wrists.

"Fuck are you talking about? Finished? I'm far from finished killing your ass," the Quinta yelled madly.

Naruto sighed.

"Fine. This the way you want it? I won't show you any mercy anymore," Naruto said as he sheathed his sword.

Nnoitera grinned, and said, "What you gonna do? Resurrección?"

Naruto laughed heartily.

"Resurrección? No, that won't be necessary. I will be using a cero," Naruto said, his face becoming deadly serious.

Naruto raised his right hand, and a small light began to surround it. The light shifted relentlessly, before coming to a halt in Naruto's palm. He pointed his palm at Nnoitera, who tensed.

"Carnicero(4)," Naruto uttered softly. He brought his hand up, and then brought it down in a chopping motion. His hand exploded in light, and the light extended towards Nnoitera at breakneck speeds. The light was completely flat vertically, almost like an extending blade...

The light smashed into the Quinta Espada, and there was a brief flash. A split second later, Nnoitera was on his knees. A gaping slash ran from his right shoulder to the the center of the bottom of his torso. This gash went from front to back, clean through. Nnoitera was still, his single eye ridiculously wide.

Naruto used sonido to appear in front of the Espada.

"Do you see now? It's over," Naruto said softly.

"I have won."

Naruto turned around, and began to walk away. Nnoitera stared at his back, and rage flowed up from inside him.

"You asshole, it's not over yet," the Espada cried out.

All of a sudden, a hand was clamped over his mouth. Naruto looked into his eye, deathly serious.

"Yes, it is Nnoitera. You have lost. Stop trying to fight," the boy said angrily.

Nnoitera pulled the boy's hand from his mouth, and yelled, "That's not it! You fucker, it isn't over until you kill me! Kill me, you bastard! KILL ME!"

"No. I will not."

Nnoitera could only stare on in fury.

"You have to kill me! If you don't, I will have no purpose. Give me the end I deserve," the frantic Espada screamed. Naruto grabbed the fallen arrancar by his throat, and looked into his eye.

"Yes, you will have something to live for. Live for the rematch. Live for the chance to kill me. Live to become stronger. Live to hate me, despise me, crave for my blood. Your life would have meaning," Naruto proclaimed.

"Live...to see me die."

Nnoitera looked at him in astonishment. Then, he grinned bitterly.

"Fine, you asshole. You're basically signing you own death warrant," Nnoitera said with a sneer.

Naruto grinned at the lanky arrancar.

"Good. Now let's get you to a healer," Naruto said as he turned to return to Las Noches. However, he turned to find Aizen with the rest of the Espada behind him.

"I take it you aren't killing Nnoitera," Aizen said. Naruto shook his head. Aizen raised his eyebrow, and said, "Then what do you plan on doing? You cannot take Nnoitera's place if he still lives."

Naruto shrugged, and said, "Just give me a new number."

Aizen once again raised his eyebrow. "New?" he asked.

Naruto nodded and said, "Yeah, like negative one or something. I mean, it would be a lot better to have 11 Espada, anyway. Hell, forget that. You don't have to even make me an Espada. Give me some new rank or something. Everyone wins!"

Aizen chuckled, and said, "Would this new rank be above any of the Espada, by chance?"

Naruto gave a foxy grin, and said, "Of course!"

"Hey, wait a minute. No offense, Aizen-sama, but how do we know the kid deserves this new rank?" Yammy asked.

Grimmjow nodded, and said, "Yeah! All he's shown is his unreleased state. What if his Resurrección is a piece of crap?"

Aizen shook his head, and said, "I assure you, Naruto is much stronger than-"

Naruto raised his hand.

"No, it's okay, Aizen. I'll show them my Resurrección. But be forewarned, I've refined it since last time you saw it," Naruto said as he drew his blade.

Cirucci smirked.

"Well then, ladies and gentlemen, sit back and watch the show. It's gonna be a real treat," the former Espada said. Naruto grinned and winked at her, and she winked back.

"Alright everyone! Behold! Mutilar...Malévolo Verdugo!"

/

Chills ran down all the Espada's spines. What they had just witnessed was nothing short of the most incredible thing any of the had seen.

Naruto grinned at them, and said, "So, impressed, or not?"

All they could do is nod. If any of them had any doubts, they were definitely gone now.

"So then, Aizen, what is the name of my new rank."

Aizen rubbed his chin, before a grin grew.

"La Santa. La Santa Verdugo(5)."

**END**

/

(1)- Hierro, Spanish for iron.

(2)- Santa Teresa, Spanish for Praying Mantis

(3)- Gran Rey Cero, Spanish for Grand King Zero, Japanese for Royal Hollow Flash

(4)- Carnicero, a kind of play on words, with cero being part of the word in Spanish. Translates as "butcher" in Spanish. Basically, Carnicero is a cero that had been compressed into a blade which has extreme cutting power.

(5)- La Santa Verdugo, Spanish for The Saint Executioner. The rank itself is just called La Santa, the Saint.

So anyways, I would like to leave some parting notes, but I'm sooooooooooooo tired, so I'll just post. Oh, and the title means "Ten That Love Blood."


	7. VI Venida Ante Los Investagación

**Antagonist**

by Kalashnikov2092

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach. however, I do own the idea for a soap opera where every time something dramatic happens, a guy will bust in with a flamethrower at torch the shit out of everybody. That would get the ratings.

Author's Musings: Wow, the last chapter got a lot of positive reviews. I liked writing it a lot, and I thought the battle between Nnoitera and Naruto was fucking cool. This chapter will be about some of Naruto and Cirucci's relationship, as well as Naruto meeting Ichigo for the first time. Read on and have a blast.

/

"He who does not punish evil commands it to be done." - Leonardo da Vinci

"If you want a thing done well, do it yourself." - Napoleon Bonaparte

/

VI: Venida Ante Los Investagación

The sun was setting, and she was sitting next to him. He looked at her, affection spilling from his eyes. She looked back at him, a loving smile gracing her features. She leaned against his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her waist.

She sighed in contentment, and said, "You know, it isn't like a saint to be fooling around with an attractive girl."

Naruto snorted and gave her bottom a squeeze.

"You know for a fact I ain't really a saint. It's only an ironic title. We both know how much of a sinner I am," the blond arrancar said as he ran his fingers through her purple hair.

Cirucci frowned, and asked, "Are we all monsters? All us hollows?"

Naruto shook his head, and said, "We are not monsters. We are different. We look different, live different, and think different. They cannot understand this, understand _us_. That is why the Shinigami fear us. Why they hunt us. They wish to kill us, so they don't have to understand us."

The female arrancar snuggled deeper into his chest. She wasn't wearing her usual clothes today. Instead, she wore a purple long sleeved shirt, and a pair of white pants. He smiled at her gently, and encircled her in his arms.

He kissed the top of her head, and said, "I'm glad I met you. Fell in love with you."

She giggled, and said, "I feel the same way, too. It all happened in one day, didn't it?"

Naruto chuckled.

"Yep! By the end of that day, I had confessed my feelings for you, and you accepted them," Naruto said.

/Flashback/

_"Alright. The sun's going down, it's time to get ready for bed," Naruto said as he sealed his zanpakut__ō__. Cirucci, who was getting back to her feet after getting knocked down by Naruto, nodded._

_ /_

_ The two arrancar sat next to the campfire, looking up into the night sky. _

"_Jeez, are there ever any stars in the sky during the night? It just blackness, stretching on for miles," Naruto complained loudly. _

_Cirucci glared at him._

"_You can complain about anything, can't you? 'Cirucci, why aren't I going fast enough,' and 'Why are you taking this long to teach me bala?' You're annoying," the girl growled at him._

_Naruto pouted, saying, "Hey, don't get angry at me for wanting to get stronger! Or maybe you're just jealous!" _

_Cirucci was taken aback. "What do you mean, 'jealous?' What am I supposed to be jealous of?" she asked vehemently. _

_Naruto smirked, and said, "Oh, I don't know. Maybe the fact that I've surpassed you completely. Or maybe because Aizen seemed to like me better. Or maybe even because I'll be able to become an Espada when I return to Las Noches, while you'll be kicked out and replaced by the newbies."_

_ The hurt look on Cirucci's face destroyed Naruto's smile immediately. She got up and began to walk away. _

"_Cirucci, wait!" Naruto cried out as he followed her. He reached out for her shoulder, but she slapped his hand away. _

"_Just leave me alone. You've said enough," the female arrancar said, not turning to face him. Naruto frowned, and then used sonido to appear in front of her. She seemed surprised at first, before glaring at the blond. _

"_Just leave me alone, you bastard!" she yelled at him. Cirucci tried to go around the arrancar, but his arm came out in front of her. She turned towards him, anger clearly showing. "What do you want! Can't you just leave me be?" she all but yelled at Naruto._

_ "No. I won't let you alone."_

_ Her eyes widened as he hugged her, his arms wrapping around her lovely frame. Coming out of her stupor, the girl glared at the boy. She tried to get out of his grasp, but he would not relent. _

"_Damn you! Let me go," Cirucci said angrily. His hold still held. She growled in anger, before managing to get her arm up to slap him. His hand immediately grabbed her wrist, preventing the strike. She once again tried to wiggle away from his grasp, but he held strong. _

"_Goddammit, just let me go! Did you hear me, let me-" Her words were stopped as Naruto gently pressed his lips to hers. Her eyes once again widened, and she tried to pull away from the kiss. However, Naruto pulled her in close, preventing her from doing so. She seemed to struggle a little bit longer, before accepting the kiss. Their lips stayed in contact for a few more seconds later, then Naruto broke it._

_ Naruto finally let the girl go, and she stepped back a bit. A blush was tinging her cheeks, and she didn't make eye contact. Then, suddenly, her rage returned full force. Naruto was taken aback._

Oh shit_, he thought as she struck. _

"_I TELL YOU TO LET ME GO, AND YOU MOLEST ME," the girl screamed in fury. _

_Naruto raised his hands up in defense, quickly saying, "No! I wasn't trying to molest you, I was-" _

_He was silenced as Cirucci's fist exploded against his face, sending him flying backwards comically. She chased after him, stomping on his prone form. He let out cries of mercy as the girl's foot continued to rain down on him._

_ She stopped, her anger gone. She looked down at him, many different emotions playing across her features. She frowned deeply, uttering, "You bastard...why'd you have to go and kiss me?" _

_Naruto wasn't looking at her. _

"_At first, I saw you as just a friend I sparred with," Naruto said, still not looking at Cirucci. He seemed to frown, before saying, "Then I began to take notice of little things. How you would smile when I would master something, or how you would seem happy when I gave you praise. Your smile. That's probably what ensnared me. I always thought you had a great smile." _

_Cirucci looked at him with a blush on her face._

_ "Then I began to smile too. When you'd smile, I'd soon follow. I just couldn't help it. Soon, when you smiled at me, it would feel like I had a heart again, and it was beating so fast. My cheeks would warm whenever your lips would turn up," Naruto said, his gaze still directed somewhere else. A faraway look appeared in his eyes as he said, "I began to look further than your smile. Your beauty began to appear to me. Your bizarre purple hair, your petite body, your warm eyes. I found myself noticing you more and more." _

_She blushed even brighter, before she uttered, "Pervert..."_

_ He looked at her then, his mouth moving, "No, I'm not a pervert. I just think that I may love you." _

_Cirucci's eyes widened as she stiffened. _

"_It took me a long to realize this. I'll admit it that I can be perverted, I can be annoying, and I can be just plain stupid. My remarks from before are proof of this. However, I know this for a fact," Naruto said._

_ "I love you, Cirucci Thunderwitch."_

_ Her face became a bright red, and Naruto stood up. He looked into her eyes, showing her his soul. She let out a small laugh. _

"_You damn bastard. You just had to be romantic," she said as she smiled at him. He blushed, and she said, "Yeah, I guess I've fallen for you too." _

_Naruto's eyes widened as her lips pressed against his this time. However, the results were the same. They shared a kiss, just as soft, just as perfect as the first._

/End Flashback/

Cirucci fell asleep in his arms. He stared down at her peaceful face, before smiling gently. He picked her up bridal style.

"There you are, Naruto. I can see you were, uh, preoccupied," Stark said as he landed in front of Naruto and his love.

Naruto nodded towards the Primera, and said, "What do you need, Stark?"

"I've come to tell you that Aizen has requested your presence," the lazy Espada said with a yawn. Naruto nodded, and gently nudged Cirucci awake. The girl slowly opened her eyes, and looked at Naruto.

"What is it?" she asked sleepily.

Naruto replied, "Aizen has called for me. I was going to take you to your chambers, but I guess you'll have to go without me." The girl nodded, before Naruto released her from his arms. She blushed as she noticed Stark was present. The Primera lazily waved at her, which she returned.

"All right, let's go," Naruto said as he stretched.

Stark nodded lazily, before performing sonido. Naruto waved goodbye at Cirucci, before taking off as well.

/

Naruto appeared in the middle of the Espada's Hall, in front of the Espada themselves.

Naruto grinned, and said, "Hey everybody! What's going on?"

Ulquiorra looked at him, saying, "Aizen-sama has gathered us here. It's time to reveal ourselves to the Shinigami."

Naruto's grin became malicious.

"So, the war is about to start? About fucking time! It's been quite some time since I've cracked some Shinigami skull," Naruto said.

Grimmjow smiled as well, saying, "Fuck yeah! Let's smash these bastards."

Szayel scoffed, saying, "We don't even know if this is a combat mission."

Naruto simply waved him off, saying, "Buzz off, pinky. Stop cutting in on the big boy's conversations." Grimmjow gave a chortle, and the Octava glared at Naruto.

"Come on now, there's no need for insults," Stark said, trying to play peacemaker.

Just then, the door opened, and Aizen strolled into the room, accompanied by Ichimaru Gin.

"Ah, I see everyone is present. Good. Now we can commence," Aizen said, his forever smile still on his face. The ten arrancar (Nnoitera still being healed) took their seats. Aizen sat at the head of the table, and looked upon his warriors.

"I have a mission for three of you," Aizen spoke, "Yammy, Ulquiorra, and Naruto."

Yammy and Naruto grinned, while the melancholic Ulquiorra nodded.

"You three are to go to a place called Karakura Town, and look for a certain Shinigami. He has orange hair and a black bankai, and his name is Kurosaki Ichigo. I want you to meet him, do battle, and then return and tell me what you see in him," Aizen said.

The three arrancar nodded, and Aizen turned to Gin. The fox-like former captain looked at Naruto, and said, "You, there, La Santo whatever."

Naruto frowned, and said, "Yeah, about that. I later found out that my name meant 'female saint executioner,' so its El Santo Verdugo now. It seemed _someone _played a trick on me."

Aizen couldn't help but smile.

Waving off-handidly, Gin responded, "Well, whatever. After you get back, you'll be training under me."

Naruto frowned again.

"In what?" the El Santo Verdugo asked.

Gin's grin widened a bit, and he answered, "In using a sword. Aizen noticed that, while you were quick on your feet and excellent in hand to hand combat, your sword skills were very basic. Your movements were quick, but very untrained. I'll teach you how to turn that sharp piece of metal into a tool of genocide when I'm done."

"Sure, I'll train under you. My sword skills are pretty mediocre," Naruto admitted.

"Splendid. Now then, the three of you, go complete your mission," Aizen said as he stood up from his seat. The three arrancar bowed, before Ulquiorra opened a Garganta(1) to the human world.

The three of them stepped into the portal, before disappearing.

/

"Oh my god! Did something fall from the sky?" a citizen cried out.

A large group of people were gathered around a huge crater that had been created only seconds before. However, standing in that crater were Yammy and Ulquiorra. The humans could not see the two arrancar, due to the fact that the two were spirits. A second later, still unseen to the humans, a Garganta opened next to the two, and Naruto stepped out.

"Jeez you two! Was it really necessary to come exploding out of the sky like that?" Naruto said.

Ulquiorra turned to Naruto, and said, "It was Yammy's idea."

Naruto rolled his eyes, and said, "I should have expected."

Yammy sneered, before bellowing, "Shut it, kid! You're just jealous you didn't think of it first!"

Naruto seemed to blow Yammy off, looking at the humans staring at the crater.

"Oi, Yammy. Take care of these humans, would ya? Use Gonzui," Naruto said as he stretched.

Yammy grinned brightly, saying, "You got it!"

The giant Espada seemed to take a huge breath, but as he did, the souls of the humans were forcibly pulled from their bodies. Yammy then swallowed their souls, batting his belly as he finished.

"Man, what a nasty snack," Yammy said with a dissatisfied look on his face.

"What do you expect, Yammy? Weak spirits like those are always quite unappetizing," Ulquiorra said as he looked around.

Naruto snorted, before something caught his eye.

"Well now Yammy! It seems that we've got a live one here!" Naruto cried with a grin. He was looking at a teenage girl with short black hair. She was still somehow alive after Yammy's Gonzui. Yammy looked at her with surprise.

Ulquiorra grinned a bit, before saying, "She has quite the strong spirit, it seems."

"Ulquiorra, is she the one?" Yammy called over his shoulder.

Naruto smacked the arrancar upside the head, before saying, "Look, you idiot. While she survived your Gonzui, she can hardly stay conscious under your reiatsu."

"She's simply trash. Dispose of her," Ulquiorra ordered coldly.

Yammy grinned, and then reared his leg back.

"Tch, how boring. Oh well, bye then," the Espada said. His foot then flew forward, ready to demolish the girl.

Naruto smirked.

"It seems we have company," El Santo Verdugo whispered to himself.

A figure dashed from the forest, and blocked Yammy's kick. The person was tall and tan, with curly black hair. However, the most noticeable thing about him was that his right arm was covered in red, white, and black armor. This arm was what was used to block Yammy's kick, though it seemed the person was surprised at the force behind it.

A young woman followed soon after. She had long orange hair, held back in the front with snowflake shaped pins. Her most noticeable assets, however, were her gigantic breasts.

Naruto sweat dropped, thinking, _Is it even possible for one so young to have tits so big?_ Pulling his mind out of the gutter, Naruto turned his attention to the matters at hand.

He turned to Ulquiorra, and said, "Do you feel that? More souls are coming, and fast. They all have higher reiatsu than these two."

Ulquiorra nodded, and said, "Indeed. Perhaps one of them is the target?"

Naruto shrugged, and said, "Hopefully. These three are shrimps."

"Inoue, do as we planned, take Arisawa and run," the man said. The girl with orange hair nodded, grabbing the other girl.

"Oi, Yammy! Before you even ask, none of these little shits are our target. Just kill them all," Naruto said with a sneer.

Yammy's face brightened. Immediately, the giant Espada struck out with a fist, trying to hit the young man. The kid brought his right arm up to block. He was surprised to find the power of the blow to be much stronger than he anticipated.

The kid's arm promptly exploded into two pieces from the force of the attack.

The kid toppled over, already falling into shock.

The girl cried out, "Sado-kun!" Her voice was filled with horror. She quickly ran over to the fallen boy, her hands reaching towards him. She went to her knees in front of him.

"Trash, you're all trash! I can just kill all you," Yammy yelled happily, almost singing his words.

He finger pointed out, and he brought it down on the girl, intending to squash her like a bug. Suddenly, a golden triangle came into existence, blocking the powerful finger. Yammy was surprised at the defense, while Naruto looked on with mild interest. He noticed that when the triangle was created, parts of the girl's hairpins had broken off and formed it.

The barrier then crumbled, and the girl stood. She uttered the words, "Sōten Kisshun(2)!"

Two more pieces of her hairpins broke off, creating a half-oval barrier around the boy's destroyed arm and shoulder. The arm began to heal, slowly but steadily.

"What in the hell? She can heal wounds?" Yammy asked in surprise.

Naruto's eyes narrowed, before he said, "No...it isn't healing, but...reversing time? She can reverse what happened to his arm. Incredible."

The girl then looked at Yammy, determination etched on her pretty face. Her arms slowly raised, before settling out in front of her.

"Tsubaki! Koten Zanshun(3), I reject!" the girl cried suddenly. Another part of her hair pin broke off, before shooting at Yammy.

Naruto looked on with interest.

"She's attacking, but it doesn't seem that powerful," Naruto said. True to his words, the attack was easily stopped by Yammy's opened palm. The girl gasped in horror as the piece disintegrated.

"Tsubaki! No," she whispered.

Yammy grinned widely, and turned to the two other arrancar.

"Hey, El Santo! What should I do with her? She has some strange tricks! Perhaps I should tear off her little limbs and give her to Aizen-sama?" the giant Espada said maliciously.

Naruto frowned, and said, "No, I don't think she'll be of any use. Just dispose of her."

Yammy smiled even wider, yelling, "Okay then!"

His hand shot forward to grab the young girl.

Naruto smirked.

"It seems another has arrived. How interesting," he uttered.

A blade was blocking Yammy's attack. The tip of the weapon was pressing right in the middle of Yammy's hand, holding it in place.

"Kurosaki-kun," the girl whispered.

The person that held the blade that was blocking Yammy's hand was a Shinigami with with bright, spiky orange hair. His blade was basically a giant butcher's knife.

"Sorry I'm late Inoue," the Shinigami said as he looked at the girl.

Inoue seemed to look away, saying, "No, I'm sorry Kurosaki-kun. I...if I was a little stronger..." The girl was looking at her two other companions, the black haired girl and the tall boy.

The Shinigami shook his head, saying, "Don't apologize, Inoue. Don't worry either." The orange haired Shinigami turned back to the three arrancar, his face serious. "Everything will be fine after I beat these three up," he stated, bringing his blade up in front of him.

"Bankai!"

Reiatsu exploded off the boy. Naruto smiled, and took a step forward. A giant pillar of dust shot into the sky. It swirled around the Shinigami, before beginning to fade. As it did, the Shinigami was revealed. He now wore a long black jacket, its inner lining red. His butcher's knife-sword was now a long black katana with a manji shaped guard.

He looked at his opponents, and said, "Tensa Zangetsu(4)." The girl looked on at him with a mix of fear and wonder. Naruto, however, looked at the Shinigami with a look of disappointment. _Black bankai, orange hair, this kid has g__ot to be out target. However, __his reiatsu, while plentiful, is_nowhere_ as strong as I__ had__ expected,_ Naruto thought.

"Inoue. Leave," the Shinigami said, not turning to look at her.

She seemed to sadden a bit, and then said, "Okay."

"Oi, Yammy! This little shit fits the description. You know what to do," Naruto called out.

The large Espada's grin threatened to split his face.

"Lucky! I've saved us the time to track you down," Yammy cried happily. The giant's fist flew forward, only to have it stopped by the flat of Ichigo's blade.

"Are you the one who ripped off Chad's right arm?" the Shinigami asked. He looked up, anger blazing in his eyes. "Then I'm going to..."

"**Take your right arm, too**."

Yammy pulled his arm back, but it was too late. Ichigo's blade flashed forward as he leaped over the Espada. Yammy's arm was lopped off at the shoulder. Ulquiorra was a bit surprised, while Naruto looked unimpressed.

Yammy's eyes were wide as he yelled, "What!"

Ichigo landed, before turning back towards the giant. Said Espada was already moving to strike the Shinigami. However, he was stopped as his head was pushed into the ground. Naruto was the culprit, sitting on Yammy's back.

The Espada pulled his head out of the dirt, and screamed, "What the hell was that for, Naruto?"

Naruto slapped Yammy's shoulder and stood up.

"I tag in, Yammy. I want to see what this fuck can do," Naruto said with a sneer. Yammy, feeling the desire in Naruto's eyes, nodded. The Saint smiled, and then turned to Ichigo.

"Hello there, Kurosaki Ichigo. I'm El Santo Verdugo, and I'll be the one to kick your ass," Naruto said with a smirk.

Ichigo scowled, and said, "I have no interest in you. I want the big one."

Naruto laughed.

"Who said you had a say in the matter?"

Ichigo's eyes widened as Naruto was suddenly behind him. He tried to turn around, but a hand was already threading its fingers through his hair. The next moment, Ichigo was plowed head-first through a tree. The boy skidded in the dirt afterwards, blood oozing from a wound in his hairline.

Naruto gave a soft chuckle, and said, "Get your ass up. My fun is far from ending."

**END**

/

(1)- Garganta, Spanish for throat. Portals used by the Espada to travel to the human world.

(2)- Sōten Kisshun, means Twin Sacred Return Shield. What Orihime uses to heal people. Actually reverses whatever happened to her target. Aizen called it something like Event Rejection.

(3)- Koten Zanshun, means Solitary Sacred Cutting shield. Orihime's only offensive ability.

(4)- Tensa Zangetsu, means Heavenly Chain Moon Cutter. Ichigo's bankai.

The title of this chapter means Arrival of the Inquisition.

Well, a pretty okay chapter. Minor action, but it will lead into a hand-to-hand fight between Naruto and Yoruichi, so that should be pretty cool. Thanks for everyone's support, I'll update soon!


	8. VII Batido y Sangrar

**Antagonist**

by Kalashnikov2092

Disclaimer: Okay fans! If you take the time to read these Disclaimers, then I have an offer for you. Simply send in a funny little thing to say for a Disclaimer in a review. Then, I'll look through them and pick my favorite Disclaimer and use it in the next chapter. Don't worry, I'll give the winner credit. So anyways, I don't own Naruto or Bleach.

Author's Musings: I just read the new Bleach chapter, and holy shit is Halibel's Resurrección awesome! If you want to check it out, go to manga reader dot net. That's where I read all my updates. Well anyways, in this chapter Naruto will have a quick battle with Ichigo, before going head-to-head with Yoruichi in a hand-to-hand combat fight. I hope it will be awesome. Also, I'll be giving more insight into why Naruto is such a heartless bastard. Enjoy the chapter.

/

"It is a specifically human trait to find joy in chaos." - Friedrich Nietzsche (thanks rde82!)

"May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't." - General George S. Patton Jr.

/

VII: Batido y Sangrar

Ichigo stood up, his face bloody.

Naruto smiled.

"So you stand! Good, good. Let's see what you've got, Kurosaki Ichigo," Naruto said as he beckoned the Shinigami.

Ichigo glared at the blond arrancar and dashed forward. He went for a downward slash, but Naruto easily blocked it with his open palm.

"Christ kid. Even though you can do bankai, it isn't anything impressive. You're gonna have to try harder if you want to even scratch me," Naruto uttered. Ichigo growled, and jumped backwards. As he landed on his feet, he took off again, a powerful thrust directed at Naruto's head.

Naruto promptly caught the tip of the blade in his teeth.

Ichigo's eyes widened in bewilderment. Naruto sneered, and his foot flashed up, catching Ichigo in the jaw. The substitute Shinigami's head snapped backwards, before his body went crashing backwards.

Naruto had a very displeased look on his face as he said, "I thought I told you to try harder. You're weak, Shinigami. This weakness will be your downfall."

With a quick sonido, Naruto was above Ichigo. The boy, who was starting to get up, was taken by surprise. Naruto's fist shot out, slamming against Ichigo's cheek. The Shinigami cried out painfully as his head nearly twisted all the way around. The boy was sent skidding backward, into a house.

He was in a daze as he stumbled through the now destroyed kitchen of the house. Naruto was there a second later with a brutal open palm strike to the chest. Ichigo was once again sent rocketing away from the blond arrancar. He first broke through one of the house's other wall, before Ichigo crashed into the school this time, blood flowing freely from his mouth. This blood was caused by both the vicious punch to his jaw and the horrendously strong blow to the chest, both of which he suffered from Naruto. Said arrancar was in front of Ichigo, boredom running across his features.

"You really are weak, you know that? When I was given this mission, I expected you to be good sport. Yet now, it seems you aren't fun at all. Just...boring," Naruto said as he looked upon the injured Shinigami.

He could see the rage build up in Ichigo. The boy stood tall, before disappearing. Naruto leaned forward, dodging a slash. Continuing to fall forward, Naruto landed on his hands. Now in a hand stand, Naruto twisted and lashed out with a kick. Ichigo barely dodged the strike, and Naruto rolled forward. Back on his feet, Naruto spun, trying to backhand the orange haired boy. The Kurosaki Shinigami ducked under the attack, before trying to stab the blond arrancar. Naruto grabbed the blade, before pushing it away. Off balance, Ichigo had not time to defend against a knee to the chest. The boy cried out, blood spattering from his mouth as he did so. Ichigo quickly jumped away, glaring at the blond arrancar.

Naruto seemed to nod in approval.

"You're beginning to dodge more. That's good. Now, if only you could attack more," Naruto said as he suddenly flew at the Shinigami.

Ichigo blocked a punch with his sword, but was still sent skidding. Naruto did not let up, jumping up and directing a stomping kick at Ichigo's face. The orange haired Shinigami rolled out of the way, and Naruto's foot decimated a row of lockers. Seeing that damage was being done to his school, Ichigo blurred forward. Naruto caught a slash in his hands, but Ichigo kept pushing forward. The two of them went flying back into the forest. Naruto, having enough of being pushed around, thrust Ichigo's sword to the side. Showing no mercy, the blond arrancar delivered a painful head butt to Ichigo's face. The boy cried out as blood filled his nostrils and pain exploded in his face. Naruto's foot came forward then, hoping to break Ichigo in half. The Shinigami dodged to the right just in time.

The orange haired boy retaliated with a zipping swing of his blade. Naruto seemed to bend backwards, almost in a ninety degree angle, effectively avoiding the attack. Popping back up, Naruto went for a left jab. Ichigo tilted his head just enough for the strike to only nick his cheek. He winced as he felt the power behind the blow. Immediately forgetting this, Ichigo brought his sword back to stab Naruto. Seemingly having eyes in the back of his head, Naruto moved only a tad, enough to dodge the stab. Naruto attacked immediately afterwards, grabbing Ichigo's wrist and throwing him up into the air. The orange haired Shinigami quickly righted himself, just in time to suffer a crushing ax kick to his shoulder. The boy cried out as he was forcibly sent back to earth. The impact was bone-rattling.

Naruto landed a good bit away from the boy, a smirk plastered across his visage.

"You're improving ever so slightly. However, you're still not good enough to injure me, let alone even scratch me. You'd better have a more powerful attack if you wish to get me bleeding," Naruto said as he rolled his shoulders.

Ichigo shakily got back to his feet, before looking as Naruto.

"A stronger attack? Fine. Take this," Ichigo growled as he reared his sword backward. Black reiatsu took shape around Ichigo's Tensa Zangetsu. Naruto raised an eyebrow in slight interest.

"**Getsuga Tenshou**," the boy said. He swung his blade down, and a huge wave of black energy was sent roaring at Naruto.

Naruto smirked. He raised his hand up limply.

"Cero Cascada(1)."

A huge glowing yellow wave of what looked like water was sent gushing at the black wave of the Getsuga Tenshou. The two attacks met, and the Cero Cascada swallowed the Getsuga Tenshou. The yellow wave dissolved Ichigo's attack until it disappeared. Ichigo's eyes widened as his strongest attack was thwarted.

Naruto's hand lowered, and the wave faded away.

"I must say, Kurosaki Ichigo. Your attack was pretty impressive. It might have given me a nasty scratch if it had hit," Naruto said arrogantly.

Ichigo, however, could not respond. He growled out as he seemed to struggle with himself.

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

_His reiatsu...it keeps fluctuating, going from almost invisible, to as powerful__ as a higher Espada. Is this what Aizen was hoping for us to o__bserve? Or is it something else?_ Naruto thought. Naruto sighed as he looked at Ichigo.

"Well then. It seems you are not able to continue. I think I'll end it now," Naruto said as he raised his hand. With a flash, a weak cero was sent flying at Ichigo. He wanted to end this battle, but wasn't looking to kill the boy. However, it seemed that some other people didn't think so. Naruto smiled in delight.

A red barrier rose in front of Ichigo just in time to black the weak cero. There was a small explosion, and the barrier held. After the smoke settled, the red shield crumbled, revealing two figures. One was a blond man dressed in a long green coat, wooden sandals, and a white and green striped hat. The other was a dark haired woman with tan skin, dressed in orange.

Naruto looked at them with a smirk.

"So, Uruhara Kisuke and Shihoin Yoruichi arrive. I've heard great things about the both of you, and I'm humbled that you would grace me with your presence," Naruto said sarcastically, bowing in mock respect.

The tanned woman scowled. Uruhara, however, seemed to lightly smile.

"So, you know of us? I didn't know we had become so popular," the man said as he rubbed the back of his head.

Naruto grinned, saying, "Oh, I was well informed on you, Uruhara Kisuke. As well as your female companion. And every captain and lieutenant in the Gotei 13. In fact, there is very little I don't know about my more formidable adversaries."

Yoruichi smirked.

"You know much about us, you say? Well then, you should know we are not to be trifled with," the woman said as she got into a hakuda(2) stance.

Naruto's footing widened, and he smiled at the brown beauty.

"Yes, it would be foolish for _most_ to fight you. However, you'll soon find I'm different than most. A lot different," Naruto cried as he dashed at the tanned woman.

Yoruichi stayed in place, even as Naruto got ever close. His fist shot out, and Yoruichi's hand came up to block it. However, her hand never grasped anything. Naruto was gone.

A powerful presence appeared behind Yoruichi, and she spun around. Nothing. Her eyes widened as a fist appeared inches away from her face. She jumped backwards, and Naruto grinned at the woman. He was standing there, his arm stretched out with his hand clenched into a fist. It seemed he never was intending to hit the woman.

"You fell for that one quite easily. I thought you were supposed to be the 'Flash Master.' I guess you've gotten a little rusty, eh?" Naruto said as he lowered his arm.

Yoruichi glared at him, but his smile remained. Naruto's eyes widened slightly as the woman disappeared. She appeared behind him, her fist reared back.

She smirked, and said, "You seem surprised."

"Fuck! I can't remember if I left the stove on at home!" Naruto yelled as he slapped himself in the forehead.

Yoruichi face vaulted.

Naruto turned his attention back to Yoruichi, and said, "Oh, sorry! I had my mind on something else. Where were we?"

Yoruichi growled at the boy. She disappeared once again, only to reappear in front of Naruto with her fist flying forward. Naruto simply used sonido to appear behind Yoruichi. His arm wrapped around her stomach, and he leaned forward to her ear.

"Oh, was that what you were trying to show me? Sorry dear, I can go faster," he whispered into the brown beauty's ear.

His arm flew up all of a sudden, his hand grasping Yoruichi's neck. Taken completely by surprise, the woman was helpless as she was choke slammed into the ground.

She let out a cry as her back made harsh contact with the ground. Letting go of the woman's throat, Naruto jumped backwards. He landed perfectly on a tree branch with a smirk set upon his features.

Yoruichi growled as she got back to her feet.

Naruto leaned forward, and said, "Do you see now? I'm not as weak as the others you have fought over the years. My strength far surpasses that of a captain's, and that power is what will defeat you here today."

With that, Naruto shot at Yoruichi. The woman had to block a booming kick with her arm. The attack still sent her backwards, with Naruto hot on her heels. Naruto's fist reared back once more, but Yoruichi struck first with a kick to his chest. The power was surprising, sending Naruto crashing through a tree.

Yoruichi landed on her feet, and said, "I admit, you're tough. However, you are nowhere at my level yet."

Naruto easily jumped to his feet, and looked at Yoruichi with a sneer.

"You land one hit on me, and you already think you have the upper hand? How foolish," Naruto growled as he shot forward. Yoruichi had to quickly duck under a blurring punch. She answered with a punch of her own, but Naruto snatched the offending limb. He pulled and slammed Yoruichi into a tree, easily shattering it. The woman took this in stride, spinning in midair and landing on the side of a tree. Bending her legs, Yoruichi then shot back at Naruto. She spun once more, lashing out with an ax kick. Naruto brought his arms up, effectively blocking the attack. The strength of the blow caused Naruto's feet to sink into the ground.

Naruto's hands wrapped around Yoruichi's ankle. He twisted, and she gasped painfully. She twisted herself so that the ankle lock was broken. Now she placed her hands on the ground, and went for a mule kick to Naruto's face. The boy turned his head only slightly, easily dodging the kick. His hands still on Yoruichi's ankle, he lifted her up in the air. With a grunt, Naruto threw Yoruichi again. She was ready this time, landing on her hands and then spring boarding to her feet. She turned around and lashed out with a kick to an advancing Naruto. The blond batted the attack away with his own powerful kick. The two spun away from each other, before looking at each other.

Without a moment's hesitation, the two clashed again. Naruto leaned backwards, dodging a roundhouse. He fell backwards, using his hands to land. He did a handstand, and lashed out with a kick to Yoruichi's back. The attack made contact, sending the brown beauty tumbling forward. Naruto rolled to his feet, before turning back to the woman. She was also getting back to her feet, holding her back as she did so. Naruto attacked, his open palm searching for the back of Yoruichi's head. The woman spun out of the way, grabbing Naruto's arm as she did so. With a heave, the brown beauty slammed Naruto into the ground. Her fist then shot forward, but Naruto's legs arched upwards, his feet finding purchase in Yoruichi's armpits. His legs then came down, slamming Yoruichi back-first into the ground. She gasped in pain, and Naruto shot back up to his feet. He nearly laughed at the woman. She was lying on her back, her legs over her head. A mischievous smile spread across Naruto's face.

SMACK!

Yoruichi blinked as pain flared. Then, anger boiled up within her. This kid had just given her ass a good slap. She exploded to her feet, absolute fury gracing her features.

"PERVERT!" she screamed as she sent her fist out. Naruto, who was by now laughing hard enough to draw tears, was in no shape to block the brutal punch that smashed against his mouth. The blond arrancar was sent barreling through a mass of trees, laughing all the while. He stopped, digging his feet into the ground. He wiped the tears from his eyes as he stretched his back. Yoruichi was already in front of him, anger still apparent, as well as a small blush tinging her cheeks...both pairs of them, probably.

Naruto grinned at the woman, and said, "I'm sorry Yoruichi-san. I just thought you were into spanking. I guess you like it more tender, eh?"

The woman let out a primal yell as she went for another vicious jab. However, Naruto disappeared this time. Yoruichi felt his presence behind her, but it was far too late.

"Thousand Years of Death!" Naruto cried, his fingers jabbing into Yoruichi's behind. However, there was no reaction from the woman. The temperature around the woman dropped drastically.

"Hm, it seems that attack isn't as effective as it used to be," Naruto said to himself. Yoruichi turned around then, her face exploding with rage, and her eye twitching. Naruto, however had his hand on his chin, seeming to be thinking about something. Her leg flashed towards, hoping to implode Naruto's quizzical face. Once again, Naruto seemed to disappear, only to reappear behind Yoruichi. This time, his head rested on the woman's shoulder, and he looked into her angry eyes. Her eyes then lit up with surprise as Naruto's hands came up and latched onto her supple behind. Naruto seemed to shake his head ruefully.

"Sorry Yoruichi, but I just can't get enough of that ass," Naruto said whimsically. She went to turn around, but Naruto's hands vacated her bottom and wrapped around her biceps. She was halted, and Naruto leaned in closer to her ear.

"Don't worry, I'm done teasing," Naruto whispered. He pushed the woman forward, and she immediately turned towards him. Her face was angry, while his was blank.

"You know, what you've been doing is far from teasing. A lot would call it molestation," the woman said angrily.

Naruto smirked, saying, "Yes, I suppose most would. I, however, think of it as getting you riled up so I could do this."

The air was forcibly ejected from her lungs as Naruto's foot plowed into her stomach. The woman was sent tumbling backwards, before smashing into a rock. She tried to get to her feet, but a brutal punch rocked her stomach. The woman's eyes widened as she was lifted up off the ground by the blow. His fist left, and she fell to the ground. Naruto grasped her by the back of her shirt, pulling her up to the feet. She was wobbling a bit, but that didn't stop her from lashing out with a kick. Naruto caught the strike, before easily pushing it away. She stumbled, and he backhanded her. Her head snapped backwards, and she stumbled backwards. Naruto went for a punch, but Yoruichi dodged and attacked. Her fist pounded against his chest, and he stumbled. She followed up with a roundhouse, sending him into the dirt. He rolled out of the way of a blurringly fast punch before getting back to his feet. He stepped backwards, dodging another punch, before shooting his leg upwards.

Yoruichi cried out as she was kicked under the shoulder. She was sent flying backwards, landing hard on her ass. She tried to get back up, but Naruto's foot stomped down on her chest. She was sent back down, his foot holding her there.

He looked down into her eyes, and said, "I know you're holding back, Yoruichi. If you don't want to end up a stain on my shoe, I'd get it together."

Naruto brought his foot off of Yoruichi's chest and stepped away.

"However, we are done here. Perhaps we will meet again, woman. And perhaps you'll take me more seriously," Naruto said as he used sonido to disappear. However, as he left he said one last thing.

"Maybe I can get another feel of that ass the next time we meet," his voice said mischievously.

Yoruichi sat there on her back, all alone.

"God dammit," she whispered to herself as she picked herself up from the ground.

/

Naruto appeared back in front of the injured Yammy and the emotionless Ulquiorra.

The melancholy Espada looked at Naruto, and said, "I take it our business is done?"

Naruto nodded. Yammy grinned as he looked over at the trees. From them emerged a bloody Ichigo. Naruto looked at him and frowned.

"You there, Kurosaki Ichigo," Naruto said as he opened a Garganta. The boy looked up, and Naruto said, "Aizen ordered us to observe you. However, it seems he has nothing to fear from you. You are but a weak Shinigami, nowhere as powerful as Aizen himself. When the time comes, he would easily gut you. You are nothing, Kurosaki. Remember that. When you lie in bed at night, think about how easily I could have killed you on this day. Now then, Yammy, Ulquiorra, we depart."

Ichigo seemed to glare at himself, and the three arrancar left.

/

The three of them came out of the Garganta. They stood in front of Las Noches. Yammy looked at Naruto with a raised eyebrow.

Naruto looked back at him, and said, "Is there something the matter, Yammy?"

The Espada nodded, and Ulquiorra spoke up.

"I think that he is thinking the same thing as me," the melancholy Espada said.

Naruto frowned, and asked, "And what is it you're thinking exactly?"

Ulquiorra looked into Naruto's eyes, and said, "When you are around us, you are childish and playful. Looking upon you then, I seriously doubted you could be sadistic. However, today you ordered the death of many, showing little emotion as you did so. You were being quite insulting when you spoke to that Shinigami boy as well."

Naruto scoffed, saying, "So?"

"So, why is it you can be a saint at one moment, and then a sinner at the next?" Ulquiorra asked.

Naruto sighed, and sat down in the sand.

He looked into the vast desert, and said, "When I died, I was killed by my best friend. He drove his hand into my chest, and killed me. I killed him back, however. I killed him because he was there to hurt my precious people. Yet, as I was a Plus, I saw the thing that would turn me into a hollow. My most precious person of all had mourned the man who was going to kill her, while spitting upon me. Anger, betrayal, sadness. These are the things that created me. These things turned me into a hollow. I kept these emotions and memories with me ever since. I lived my afterlife by these emotions. I lived on anger, more than any other emotion. This anger grew and grew, until it became something else. Apathy. Apathy became my fourth and biggest emotion I felt. Then, one day I traveled to the land of the living. I went back to my old village, and saw how things had changed. What I saw would shape me into the creature I am now.

"I went to my grave, and found it desecrated. Many things were written on it, mostly things about how I deserved to die, and how they were glad I was gone. This did not bother me. I expected my grave to be like this. I was hated when I was alive. I continued to search through the graves. I happened across my best friend's grave. It was small, but completely unmarred. In fact, there were flowers around it, many flowers. This drove me crazy. A man who wanted to destroy the village got flowers, while all I got was hatred. I despised humans right there and then. They were stupid, shallow creatures that could forsake a hero and herald a villain. For that, I will show them no mercy.

"This was not the end of it. A month later I visited again. This time, I saw something that would nearly kill me. Nearly cause me to just kill myself in disgust. Garbed in the black kimono of a Shinigami was Uchiha Sasuke. My best friend, and my murderer. Rage. Pure, unfiltered rage exploded into me. Uchiha Sasuke, murderer of many. Uchiha Sasuke, a traitor. _Uchiha Sasuke, the man who tried to d__estroy Konoha, had gone to heaven!_ Do you have any idea how insulting it is for a man who deserved absolutely nothing less than eternal damnation instead gets _salvation?_ I swore upon myself from that moment onward that I would get my revenge. I would kill Uchiha Sasuke and any other Shinigami. For the Shinigami are not fit for the responsibilities given to them. They are stupid spirits awarded with power, some of which don't even deserve it! I will kill any Shinigami that cross my path. I will kill any human that annoys me. For until they prove themselves to be beyond my expectations, they are forsaken. Until they prove me wrong, they're fucked."

Ulquiorra and Yammy looked upon their brother. Naruto had is back to them, and was looking up into the sky. Ulquiorra stepped forward and laid his hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Naruto. Your words are true. Humans, Shinigami, there is no difference. They are but trash. We will stand united to triumph over their ignorance," Ulquiorra said.

Naruto turned around, eyes wide.

"But, I thought you thought I was childish," Naruto said as he looked Ulquiorra in the eyes.

The Cuarta shook his head, and said, "I did, once. However, you proved yourself today. You showed the ability to become heartless and kill without hesitation. You are what your title portrays. El Santo Verdugo; a saint at one moment, an executioner the very next. Today, I stand beside you not as a fellow soldier, but as a brother."

Naruto was startled as Ulquiorra stuck his hand out. However, Naruto then smiled, and shook Ulquiorra's hand.

"Yeah, I guess you're alright," Yammy said with a grin. His giant hand came down and Naruto shook it as well.

Naruto nodded, and said, "Thanks you guys. Really. But we need to relay our report to Aizen." The two Espada nodded, and with a quick sonido, they were gone. Naruto remained, though. He looked up at the sky, a rueful expression adorned by his face.

"It seems that only in death can I find the loyalty I've been trying to find for all of my existence."

Naruto began to gather up reiatsu to use sonido himself.

"But I'm glad."

He was gone.

**END**

/

(1)- Cero Cascada, means Cero Cascade in Spanish. This attack turns a cero into a liquid form, disintegrating anything weaker than itself.

(2)- Hakuda, the Shinigami hand-to-hand form.

The title means "Hit and Bleed."

This was a pretty good chapter. The action wasn't as epic as some of the other chapters, but still not too bad. The next couple of chapters will have Naruto training under Gin and fucking around with Grimmjow when he goes looking for Ichigo.


	9. VIII Kiss Me, My Swallow

**Antagonist**

by Kalashnikow2092

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach.

Author's Musings: Here we are for another chapter. Naruto will be training under Gin in the art of the sword. We'll be finding out about Soul Society's reaction to Naruto's sighting in Karakura. Naruto will be having a few tender moments with Cirucci as well. Enjoy the new chap!

/

"A sword is never a killer, it is a tool in the killer's hands." - Seneca

"War is based on deception." - Sun Tzu

/

VIII: Kiss Me, My Swallow

Naruto looked on as Ulquiorra plucked out his own eye, before squashing it in his bare hand. Instead of squishing into a bloody mess, it shattered like glass. The bits of his eye floated through the air, and Naruto closed his eyes. It came back to him, all the events of his battle with Ichigo and Yoruichi. Naruto gulped as he heard Cirucci growl. They were now getting to the parts where Naruto was having "fun" with Yoruichi.

_I'm so gonna get castrated,_ Naruto thought, sweat pouring off his person.

The memories ended shortly after, and Aizen opened his eyes.

"I see. That is why you chose not to kill him," Aizen said as he looked over to Naruto.

Naruto nodded.

"The kid was not a threat to you. So, I really had no reason to kill him. Also," Naruto began to say, but a bark of laughter came from behind him.

"That's weak," the voice cried.

Naruto turned around, and frowned as he looked upon the man who spoke.

"If it were me, I would have killed them all with one attack," Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez cried out cynically.

Naruto scowled, and said, "Grimmjow..."

The Sexta Espada sneered, and said, "If he was so weak, why didn't you just kill him? A man with such weakness only deserves death!"

Show Long, one of Grimmjow's Fracción, decided to speak up.

"I agree. The boy is an enemy. Even if there is no value in killing him, there is certainly no value in letting him live," Show Long said.

Grimmjow nodded and pointed at the Tenth Espada.

"And look how badly Yammy got his ass kicked. No reason to kill him? Bah! More like you were too weak to kill him," Grimmjow yelled.

Yammy looked at Grimmjow with disdain.

"Hey Grimmjow, didn't you just watch? Naruto pushed me out of the way before I could kill that little shit. Not to mention others intervened," Yammy said with a frown.

Grimmjow scoffed at the large arrancar.

"You really don't get it! I said I'd kill them all with only a single attack," Grimmjow said arrogantly.

Yammy grew angry and began to approach Grimmjow, but Naruto raised his arm. The large Espada nodded and stopped his advance.

Naruto turned towards Grimmjow with a frown.

"Alright then, Grimmjow. Seeing as how you're not too bright, I'll explain this slowly for you," Naruto said.

The Sexta glared at the Santo, and got up to retaliate. However, in a flash Naruto was in front of Grimmjow, his hand grasping the Sexta's throat.

Showing no emotion, Naruto said, "You do understand the problem isn't that Shinigami, right?"

Grimmjow struggled to get Naruto's hand off his throat.

"What Aizen sees troubling is not the kid at present. He sent us to observe the kid to confirm his suspicions. He suspected that this kid had an uncanny ability to become stronger quite fast. This is correct. When I felt Kurosaki's reiatsu at one point, it surpassed yours by miles. This fluctuated between this incredible reiatsu and border line zero. He had no control over this, it seems. This shows that he has no way to control his own power. In time, it might just kill him or even allow us to make him one of our pawns if we leave him alone," Naruto lectured. His hand loosened around Grimmjow's throat, and the Espada stumbled away from him.

"That, my dear Jaegerjaquez, is why we left him alive," Naruto stated with a smirk.

Grimmjow glared at the blond arrancar, and said, "You idiotic fuck! That's what I keep calling weak! What if he becomes stronger? Stronger than what you've predicted? What if he ends up getting in the way of our fun? What will you do then, oh mighty Verdugo?"

Naruto looked Grimmjow dead in the eyes. Then, he turned away from him.

"If something like that happens, I'll mutilate the little shit."

Grimmjow was taken aback by the statement. Naruto looked over his shoulder and smirked.

"I see that you have no complaints with my plan," Naruto said.

Aizen smiled and sat up.

"Apart," Aizen begun, gaining the arrancars' attention. He continued, "...From what your brothers may say, I'm impressed with your work, Ulquiorra, Naruto."

Ulquiorra bowed, saying, "I am very grateful."

Naruto nodded at Aizen, and said, "Yeah, it was no problem. Ever need something like that again, just call me in. I live for stuff like that." Aizen chuckled and nodded.

Grimmjow, however, was glaring daggers into Naruto's back. Slowly but surely, the arrancar filed out, until it was only Naruto and Aizen.

"So then, Aizen. How soon until we can do something like that again?" Naruto asked as he cracked his back.

The ex-captain smiled, and said, "Well, very soon probably. Grimmjow seemed very upset with how your mission. Keep an eye on him, he might be traveling back to Karakura to finish what you started."

Naruto sneered, and said, "I wouldn't put it past the bastard. So then, if I remember correctly, you said something about training with Gin-san?"

Aizen nodded, and called out, "Gin, I believe Naruto would like to begin his training soon." There was a whistling sound, and Naruto jumped out of the way of a blurringly fast extending blade. Naruto looked up to where the blade led, to find Gin standing up in the rafters of the room.

The fox-like man waved at the blond, and said, "Hey there Naruto-san!"

Naruto sighed, and said, "Oi, could you have just came down here and said hello?"

Gin cupped his chin, seeming to think.

He then shook his head, and said, "Nope! That wouldn't have been as fun, Naruto-san."

Naruto sighed again, running his hand over his face.

He looked up to Aizen, and asked, "Gin-san is crazy, isn't he?"

Aizen smiled, and said, "No, Gin isn't crazy. He's just a bit playful."

Naruto sweat dropped. _Playful he says..._

The silver haired ex-captain leaped down, landing in front of Naruto. His blade retracted into its original form, and he gave Naruto a once over.

"Hm...you're pretty lithe, figure-wise. Your blade is average in length...and you like to get up-close and personal, from what I've seen," Gin analyzed. "Well, I guess I'll focus on teaching you my sword style. You see, since my blade is so short, I have to get quite close to my opponents to strike them, so that is in match with your wanting to get up in your opponent's face. We have roughly the same size and figure, so this works out perfectly," Gin said, his eternal smile spread creepily across his visage. Naruto nodded, and turned back to Aizen.

"I'll start training immediately. Send someone to get me when you need my services," Naruto said.

Aizen nodded, and Naruto along with Gin left his chambers.

/

"W-what? Whisker marks? When did this happen again," Kakashi asked his lenient captain.

Shunsui looked at his 3rd seat, raising his eyebrow.

"Why is this so important, Kakashi-kun," the captain asked.

Kakashi seemed to grow distant, and Shunsui realized how serious this was. Kakashi, in all his years of service in 8th Division, had never been unfocused. Yes, he would usually come off as a lazy person, but Shunsui could tell he was always vigilant, always prepared. Now, however, Kakashi seemed to not be there.

"Kakashi?" the leisurely captain asked his subordinate.

The man seemed to snap out of his trance, before looking back at Shunsui.

"Oh! I'm sorry Kyoraku-taichou," Kakashi said as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. However, he soon regained his composure, and said, "Taichou, would you please go over your report again?"

The man nodded hesitantly, and said, "It seems that three hollows, arrancars, attacked Karakura yesterday. They managed to injure Yasutora Sado badly, Kurosaki Ichigo moderately, and Shihoin Yoruichi moderately. They killed many humans as well. Their descriptions are as follows: the first was a large arrancar that was called Yammy. He had tan skin and a jaw bone under his chin. He was the one who injured Sado. The next was a short and pale arrancar that was called Ulquiorra. He had white skin and half of a helmet on his head. He had no involvement in the fighting. The final arrancar was a blond, who called himself El Santo Verdugo. We have yet to confirm if this is his real name. He had three spikes on each side of his face. Dark red whisker marks branched from these spikes. He seemed to be the one to lead the other two arrancar. He is considered to be the most dangerous of the three, easily dispatching Kurosaki with his bankai released. He then went on to fight and injure Yoruichi, having the upper hand in the battle. That is all I was told."

Kakashi leaned against a wall, his eyes wide.

"Kakashi, what's getting to you?" Shunsui asked.

Kakashi looked up at his captain, and said, "Taichou, I believe I know the real name of the last arrancar."

Kyoraku's eyebrows raised, and he asked, "Why, have you run into him before?" Kakashi shook his head, and said, " not as a Shinigami. I believe I knew him when I was alive, taichou."

Once again, the captain's eyebrows raised.

"You did? Well then, come out with it. Who was this person?" Kyoraku asked.

Kakashi looked saddened for a moment.

"I think the arrancar is Uzumaki Naruto. A former student of mine," Kakashi said.

For a third time, Shunsui's eyebrows rose up. Kakashi had talked about Naruto before. He had spoken with much sadness about the boy. How his life ended so tragically, how it was taken at the hands of Byakuya's third seat, Uchiha Sasuke. He talked about how courageous and powerful the boy had once been. How this boy had to handle a burden so massive that it was a miracle it didn't ruin him. Now, to hear that this boy might have been the third and mightiest arrancar was quite a shock.

"Kakashi, do you really think it could be this boy?" the 8th Division captain asked.

"If he has blond hair and whisker marks, I'm almost one hundred percent sure," Kakashi said, seriousness oozing from his words.

Shunsui sighed, and said, "I see. I guess I'll have to tell the other captains. If I were you, I'd tell your friends from your past about this. They'd want to know."

Kakashi nodded with a sigh.

"Yeah, that's what I intended on doing. I'll see you later, taichou," Kakashi said, jumping away with shunpo.

/

Hatake Kakashi looked upon his friends from when he was alive. Before him sat Sarutobi Asuma, Asuma's father Sarutobi Hiruzen, Jiraiya of the Sannin, Shizune, Rin, Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Itachi, and Haruno Sakura. The last three on the list Kakashi had asked along hesitantly.

Sarutobi Asuma was lieutenant of 13th division, under Jushiro Ukitake. He had showed considerable skill in the Shinigami Academy, allowing him to graduate in two years along with Kakashi. He had been drafted into 13th Division, where he had climbed up the ladder and easily taken the lieutenant position that had been vacated since the Shiba Kaien incident.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had graduated the Shinigami academy in an astounding one and a half years. Yamamoto had personally chosen Hiruzen for his wise mind and considerable skills. He had taken things easy in 1st division, but eventually took the spot of lieutenant. He was now under consideration for promotion to captain, taking Aizen's previous spot.

Jiraiya had whizzed through the academy like it was nothing. He was there for one and a half years, the same as his old sensei. He had been taken in by Zaraki Kenpachi and his merry band of brutes. Jiraiya had surprised everyone in that division, challenging Kenpachi many times, winning a few. He had gotten as far as fourth seat, but was now in consideration to take Gin's old spot as 3rd Division's captain.

Shizune was still in the academy, deciding to take things slowly. She would be graduating this year, though. Many have speculated that she would be drafted into 4th Division, under Retsu Unohana.

Kakashi had been ecstatic when he found out that his old companions, Rin and Obito, were in the Gotei 13. Rin had completed the full six years of the Shinigami Academy. She was now in 4th Division, at third seat. However, her power was immense. She was currently up for the position of captain, gunning for Aizen's old spot.

Obito had graduated the Shinigami Academy in three years. His skill was known far and wide throughout Soul Society. He was lieutenant of 2nd Division, under Soifon. His hakuda was rumored to be on par with his captain's. He was currently up for a promotion, hoping to get Tousen's old seat in 9th Division.

Uchiha Sasuke had very little friends in his old compatriots. He was only able to hang out with Sakura and Itachi, due to the fact that the two were the only ones who still held him in high regard, even only if it was a little with Itachi. Sasuke was 3rd seat in 6th Division, under Kuchiki Byakuya.

Uchiha Itachi, even in death, was a genius. He had tied with Ichimaru Gin and Shiba Kaien in completing the Academy in only one year. He was very powerful, and had been targeted by Aizen before he left. Itachi had been grievously injured, but had recovered. He used to be the lieutenant of 9th division, and was now in consideration to take his old captain's spot.

Haruno Sakura was also still in the Shinigami Academy. She only had two friends, Sasuke and Shizune, though Shizune had lost a lot of respect for the girl. Her hopes were to graduate soon and get into 4th Division.

Now they were all assembled here. Kakashi looked upon all of them with seriousness etched across his masked face.

Asuma chose to speak up, asking, "Hey Kakashi, why'd you gather all of us here for?"

Kakashi let out a sigh, and sat down in a chair.

"I have come across some information that has to do with all present, in one way or another," Kakashi said.

Jiraiya raised his eyebrow, and said, "What is it exactly?"

Kakashi sagged into his chair, and spoke two words.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

All present were now clearly interested.

Jiraiya stood up, and said, "What? What have you found out about Naruto? Kami, please tell me he's alright!"

Kakashi frowned, and said, "In a way, he is alright."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, and said, "What do you men, in a way? Where is he, Kakashi?"

Kakashi seemed to sadden even more.

"Yesterday, three arrancar attacked Karakura. One of them managed to defeat Kurosaki Ichigo and Shihoin Yoruichi," Kakashi reported.

Needless to say, everyone was surprised at what they heard. Kurosaki Ichigo had defeated Byakuya Kuchiki and other captain-class guardsmen. What was even bigger was the fact that this person had defeated Yoruichi, the Flash Master.

Hiruzen's eyebrows furrowed with worry, and he said, "Kakashi, what exactly does this have to do with Naruto?"

"The arrancar that defeated the two was reported to have blond hair and whisker marks on his cheeks."

Silence. Dead silence erupted in the room of former shinobi.

Jiraiya was the first to speak.

"You don't think it could be...NO! No, I won't believe it," Jiraiya cried out.

Kakashi could only look away.

Sarutobi shook his head, saying, "Why? Why did such a pure soul have to fall so far?"

Asuma shot up from his seat and pointed squarely at Sasuke.

"You! This is all your fault, you traitorous, murderous bastard! Naruto would still be alive if you hadn't killed him. You should be a hollow, and he should be the Shinigami! This...this is so fucked up," Asuma said as he stared at Sasuke with angry eyes.

Sakura glared at Asuma, and said, "Don't go blaming Sasuke for this! He killed Naruto in self-defense! Naruto probably became a hollow because he killed Sasuke!"

Pressure. Ungodly, angry pressure rained down in the room. Before Sakura stood Jiraiya, unbridled fury pouring off his features.

"What? What did you say," Jiraiya asked as he grabbed Sakura by the front of her kimono. "You dare say that Naruto became a hollow for killing a sinner? Are you fucking retarded? Naruto was better than Sasuke, better than you, better than all of us! And you dare say he deserved this? Girl, leave now before I'm forced to kill you," Jiraiya said, his tone icy.

By this time, Sakura was nearly unconscious, tears running down her cheeks. A hand came up and rested on Jiraiya's shoulder. The Toad Sage turned to see his old sensei, a solemn look on his face, Jiraiya relaxed immediately, his reiatsu dying down. He let go of Sakura, and she tumbled to the ground. She was crying, and reaching out for Sasuke. The traitorous Uchiha lent a hand, helping the girl to her feet. As soon as she was up, she bolted from the room.

Obito sneered, and said, "Good riddance!"

The tone in the room quickly became sombre.

Itachi closed his eyes, before saying, "This is a very unfortunate series of events. However, this does not change the fact that Naruto is an arrancar under Aizen's control. When the time comes, we will have to defeat him."

Jiraiya glared at the boy, and yelled, "What are you talking about? We can't kill Naruto, he-"

"Jiraiya!"

The Sannin immediately stopped talking, and looked at Sarutobi. The dead Sandaime looked at him, a grim look on his face.

"While I do not like the prospect of having to fight Naruto, Itachi is right. Naruto is an arrancar now, and we will have to fight him. He has already shown he is not on our side," the old man said solemnly.

Jiraiya looked away, distress clearly written on his face.

Shizune spoke up, sadness making itself known in her voice, "I...I can't believe this could happen to someone so..._good_! Naruto had no evil bone in his body, and now..."

Asuma chose to finish her sentence.

"And now, he is going to try and kill us all."

Never had any of them been so distraught.

/

Naruto laughed in joy as he dodged another swipe from Gin. They had been at it for two hours now. At first, Gin had taught him the proper footing and positioning of his hands on his blade. Then they had begun to spar, Gin telling Naruto to watch and read his attacks. Then, learn the attacks through a... "hands on" approach. No sonido, no cero, no nothing. Just blade versus blade. At first, it had been tough. Gin had immediately shown Naruto that Naruto's sword skills were trash compared to his own. Thankfully for his well-being, Naruto quickly caught on, learning the style of fighting Gin was so proficient at.

Gin was very tricky. He would use anything against Naruto, using tatters of his clothes to block Naruto's sight, and shooting his zanpakutō, Shinso(1) through the billowing pieces of his clothing. Naruto was a bit scuffed up, bleeding slightly from a cut to his cheek. Gin was relentless when he went on the offense. He would pick apart Naruto's mediocre defense, showing once again how much of a novice Naruto was with a sword.

Gin jumped back away from a thrust from Naruto, before standing up straight.

"Alright! That's it for today," the silver haired man said as he sheathed his sword. Naruto nodded, and sheathed his own blade. Naruto straighted out his slightly ripped clothes, and smiled at the ex-captain.

"Thanks for the lesson, Gin-sensei," Naruto said with a smile.

Gin cocked his head to the side.

"Gin-sensei...huh, I like the sound of that. Well anyway, meet me back here tomorrow, Naruto-san. Don't forget," Ichimaru said as he walked away.

Naruto waved goodbye, before disappearing with sonido.

/

Naruto let out a content sigh as he stepped out of the bathroom.

"Man, nothing is more refreshing than a good, cold shower," Naruto said happily. He wrapped a towel around himself as he walked down the hall to his chamber. He cupped his chin as he thought about something. "Man, I have a feeling I forgot something today," Naruto mused to himself. He shrugged, and opened his chamber door.

"Hello, Naruto-_kun_..."

Naruto froze up as he looked into the eyes of a very pissed off Cirucci Thunderwitch.

_Oh shit, that's right! I forgot Cirucci-chan was angry about the whole Shihoin ass thing,_ Naruto thought. His thoughts were immediately interrupted as a foot smashed into his groin. Hard. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as his nuts screamed in agony. He fell to the floor, holding his damaged goods.

Cirucci began to stomp on the boy, screaming, "You think you can get away with touching another woman's ass? Well you've got another thing coming, mister!"

Naruto feebly raised his hands to defend himself, whimpering pathetically, "I'm s-sorry Cirucci-chan! I only did that to get her riled up, and then beat her! I promise!"

This only seemed to piss Cirucci off even more, as she shrieked, "You fucking dumb ass! You could have beaten her without molesting her!"

Oh...she got him on that one.

Quickly coming up with an excuse, Naruto said, "B-but, I used to do the same thing to you when we sparred. You know, I'd do that thing where I would bury my face in your-" Naruto was silenced as Cirucci's foot stomped on his face.

"Shut up about that, you pervert! That was different! That was with _me!_ You can't go around doing that to woman other than your girlfriend," Cirucci yelled indignantly. She stomped on him a few more times, before stepping away from him.

He looked up at her, his face gentle.

"I fucked up, didn't I?" he asked quietly. He got to his feet, and looked her in the eyes.

"Do you know how much it hurts? To see the guy you love groping some other woman? Do you even know?" Cirucci asked.

Naruto sighed.

He had seen that, kind of. Seeing Sakura chasing after Sasuke, giving her adoration to a person who could care less. He knew what Cirucci was talking about, and it made him feel even worse.

"When I saw you doing those things, it made me question us. Question if you even were in love with me. If you just saw me as an easy way to get laid," she cried.

"Cirucci!"

His tone was firm, but gentle. His arm gently wrapped around her waist, and she buried her head in his shoulder.

"I'm sorry Cirucci-chan. I was being stupid and forgot about your feelings. I deserved every shot I took," Naruto said as he ran his fingers through Cirucci's purple locks. He smirked. "Besides, I like your ass a lot better, Cirucci-chan. It's the riiiiiiiiiiiight size," he said mischievously. His hand came down and gave Cirucci's butt a nice squeeze. She gave out a muffled gasp. She looked at him, angry.

"Pervert," she said with a scowl.

Naruto smiled at her, and said, "Yeah, but I'm your pervert."

He kissed her, his tongue sliding through her lips and exploring her mouth. She moaned into the kiss as his hand gently massaged her bottom. She leaned into the kiss, battling his tongue with her own. Naruto smirked, before pulling away from the lip lock. She whimpered as she felt his lips depart, and looked into his eyes. She then gasped as his hand snaked into the front of her skirt. She leaned against him as his fingers ran along _tha__t place_, causing moisture. She moaned against his neck, and a tip of a finger dipped into her folds. She let out a moan and fell against Naruto, who quickly supported her. He picked her up, and quickly carried her to his bed.

Naruto laid her down gently upon his bed, leaning over her as he did so. His hand was still stroking her wet heat, and she was moaning even louder. She looked up at him, her eyes half-lidded.

"N-naruto...please...a little bit more," she said, though she was blushing madly and not looking towards him. Naruto kissed her, and plunged a finger in. Cirucci's back arched up off the bed, and a loud moan echoed off the walls. Naruto's finger slowly slid, out and in, out and in. He kissed her again, and his thumb brushed across her clit. She moaned loudly into his mouth, and he felt her walls squeeze around his lone finger. Wetness splashed on his hand, and he smiled gently at his love. His hand came out of her now soaked panties, before pulling them down. He then followed with the rest of her outfit until he was looking at the bare and blushing woman he had come to adore.

Cirucci looked up at him, longing swimming in her beautiful eyes.

"Cirucci-chan...I'm gonna...you know," Naruto said as he blushed quite a bit. The female arrancar giggled, before nodding. He let his towel fall down, letting himself stand out. She reached down and grasped that thing that all men had, and guided it. There was a wet sound, and he entered her. She cried out and wrapped her legs around his waist. She pulled him deeper into herself, before they both felt that resistance.

He looked into her eyes, and whispered, "Cirucci, I heard this will hurt. If you want to stop here, I don't-"

Her finger came up and pressed against his lips. "Hurry...I...I want you to love me," she moaned out.

He kissed her forehead, and with a strong push, broke through her virginity. Cirucci gasped, raking her nails across Naruto's back. He didn't mind, he just pulled back a bit before thrusting gently. She let out a little gasp as a minute amount of pleasure came to her. Another thrust, and that minute amount became a little bit more substantial. Another thrust, and she began to enjoy it. Another. And another. And another.

He kissed her all the while. He'd give her a few tiny pecks before nibbling on her ear lobe. Then his mouth would finds its way to her neck and travel down to her collar bone. Afterwards he'd do things in reverse order, only instead of ending with a the small tender kisses, he'd unite their lips passionately. He'd then start the process over again, only adding in an extra step each time. A little bit of tongue lashing across a nipple, a bit of a grope of her breasts, a light sucking of her lower lip, even something as simple as running his hand through her hair.

She felt as though he was enjoying as much of her as possible. Cirucci enjoyed it immensely, never even imagining such a treatment before this day. The thoughts of Naruto's indiscretion that day were in the farthest back of her mind. Right now, she could only think of how he was treating her like the most important thing in his life.

Ecstasy, better than anything she could have ever dreamed of, built up in her lower parts. Naruto was breathing heavily into her ear. Her legs tightened around his waist, pulling him in deeper, making her feel better. His gentle thrusts were steady in pace, and gentle in power. He wanted this to be good for her, not wanting to hurt the first woman he truly loved.

Her arms wrapped around his neck, and she whispered, "Please, a little bit faster."

He did exactly as he was told. His pace picked up, and she cried out. This feeling, this lovely feeling, she didn't want it to stop. Naruto's breathing quickened in her ear. The ecstasy which had been warming her down there, began to coil like a spring in the pit of her stomach. She closed her eyes in anticipation of the pay off.

"Naruto, I think I'm gonna," she cried softly, but was stopped as soon as Naruto did.

Her eyes snapped open at the absence of his motion. She looked up at his face, to find it spread into a fox-like grin.

"Why did you stop?" she asked, trying to keep the desperation out of her voice, instead using irritation.

He chuckled a bit and leaned incredibly close to her ear.

"I just wanted to tease you a bit, Circucci-chan," Naruto whispered mischievously.

The foreboding aura beneath him quickly wiped away his cheekiness and elicited a sweat drop from him. Getting the message, the blond arrancar let out a warm breath against his lover's ear. Then he positively smashed his hips into hers, burying himself fully into Cirucci's accepting warmth.

Euphoria. That was the only word she could use to describe this feeling. This was without a doubt the definition of euphoria. Her vision blurred and her back arched. Her walls clamped down as hard they could, wanting to draw from him that sticky white fluid he was to be ejaculating. She was faintly aware of Naruto removing himself from her. The incredible feeling began to fade, and her vision began to focus. Naruto was leaning over her, breathing and sweating heavily. She looked into his eyes, and he looked into hers.

"I love you."

They kissed.

They slept.

Most importantly, they dreamed.

**END**

/

(1)- Shinso, means Sacred Spear. This is Gin's sword, and its special ability is to extend itself very far, if not infinitely.

This chapter had a pretty sexy ending. I wrote that part for some people who wanted to see a lemon with Cirucci and Naruto. Well anyways, the next chapter will have some more training with Gin, as well as Grimmjow heading off to Karakura, with Naruto in tow. See ya next time everybody!


	10. IX The Detestable Panther

**Antagonist**

by Kalashnikov2092

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach. If I did, they would probably suck anyways.

Author's Musings: Hey everyone! I have returned after a short absence. I've been busy hanging out with mu friends. Well anyways, this chapter will mostly involve Naruto training with Gin and following Grimmjow into Karakura. The results should be pretty cool. Enjoy.

/

"A beast does not know that he is a beast, and the nearer a man gets to being a beast, the less he knows it." - George MacDonald

"Violence isn't always evil. What's evil is the infatuation with violence." - Jim Morrison

/

IX: The Detestable Panther

Cirucci Thunderwitch awoke to find that she was complete and totally naked, yet feeling a strange sense of satisfaction. The purple haired arrancar sighed as she turned over. She froze as she found a very naked Naruto lying in bed next to her. She blushed brightly as the memories of the previous night entered her mind. It had been...pleasant, much more than she expected. Definitely something that she would enjoy trying with him again…

Cirucci got out of Naruto's bed and stretched. She sighed and began her search for her lost clothes. They weren't hard to find, being on the other side of the bed. There was a sleepy groan, and Cirucci looked to find Naruto waking. He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He turned to Cirucci and gave a tired wave.

The woman giggled, and said, "Morning, Naruto-kun."

The blond nodded, before noticing he was buck naked. His eyes widened considerably, and a huge blush flowed through his cheeks. He seemed to be remembering last night as well.

He looked back at Cirucci, his face still red.

"Did we really...you know," he asked sheepishly.

The girl blushed a bit, and said, "Yeah, we did. It was...nice. Did you, uh, finish?"

Naruto blushed even brighter, and shook his head. His arrancar girlfriend was surprised and a bit...disappointed. She wasn't able to get him off? He saw this shame in her eyes and he frowned.

"Hey now, there will be none of that. Just because I didn't cream you doesn't mean it wasn't good," he said.

She blushed deeply, and she said, "But I finished! It's only fair that you get to as well. Maybe I'm just not that good at that sort of stuff."

Naruto sighed as he got out of bed, saying, "Cirucci-chan, the only reason I didn't finish is because of one of my special abilities. Remember?"

Cirucci's eyes lit up in realization.

He nodded to her and said, "Aturdir(1). It reduces the amount of feeling I get through touch. While I thought it only worked for pain, I guess it does a number on pleasure as well. I mean, it still felt good, I just wasn't able to get enough to release."

His girlfriend nodded in understanding. He walked over to her, his grin mischievous.

"Hey, think of it this way! I can go really long! That's a definite advantage. Me and you could go all night long," he said perversely.

Cirucci blushed furiously, and yelled, "Shut up you pervert!"

Naruto chuckled at Cirucci, and walked past her. He strode over to his closet and tapped on his chin.

"What exactly should I wear today," the arrancar asked. He opened his closet and searched.

/

Gin smirked as he looked at his apprentice.

"My, my, don't you look sharp," the smiling man said. Naruto was dressed very strangely. He wore the last thing Gin expected to see him in. Naruto was garbed in the outfit of a priest. It consisted of a double-breasted black jacket known as a cassock, whose tail went all the way down to his ankles. It was closed with black shiny buttons, and it had the signature white detachable clerical collar. On his hands were white gloves, and on his feet well-polished black dress shoes. The last thing Naruto adorned was his blade on his left side. He even carried a book, even if it was an interesting bright orange...

Naruto shrugged with a smirk.

"What can I say, it seemed ironic to me," Naruto said in a calm tone.

Gin chuckled, and pointed at Naruto's neon orange book.

"What's with that thing," Gin asked, his forever grin ever present.

Naruto blushed a little bit, and said, "Well, this is a book I picked up when I had some free time on Earth."

Gin tilted his head, asking, "What's it called?"

Naruto blushed even brighter, and muttered something. Gin seemed to grin wider.

He cupped his hand near his ear, and asked, "What was that, Naruto-san? I couldn't quite hear you."

Naruto's face became ruby red as he glared at the silver haired ex-captain.

"It's called Icha Icha Magic," Naruto said with a fierce blush. Gin's eyebrows shot up a bit, immediately recognizing the series.

"Ah, so you read Jiraiya-san's old works?" Gin asked.

Naruto's eyes widened exponentially at the name.

"You know Jiraiya?" Naruto asked, bewildered.

Gin raised an eyebrow, saying, "Yeah, I knew him back in Soul Society. He was a seated officer in 11th Division. 4th Seat, I think."

Naruto looked at Gin with incredibly wide eyes.

Gin frowned a bit, and said, "Hey, what's a matter Naruto-san? Did you know Jiraiya-san?"

Naruto's face became stony.

He turned away from Gin, and said, "Yeah, I did. When I was alive, I was his apprentice."

Gin's smile returned, and he said, "That's quite interesting!"

Naruto turned back to Gin, an exasperated look on his face.

"So Jiraiya is a Shinigami. Shit," Naruto said with a frown.

Gin raised an eyebrow, saying, "What's with that look? You're not getting second thoughts, are you?"

Naruto looked at Gin, his face blank. Then, it exploded into a grin.

"Nope! Though he may have been my sensei in the past, I guess he's my enemy now. I was just frowning because I was wondering if old ero-sennin would be a good fight," Naruto said excitedly.

Gin gave a chuckle, saying, "That's quite cold, Naruto-san. Jiraiya's an old friend of yours, and the first thing you can think of is if he'd be a good fight before you kill him. Truly, truly cruel."

Naruto scoffed, saying, "Yeah, he was a good teacher. But like I said, that was in the past. I could care less, now."

Gin grinned even wider.

"But what about Jiraiya? Maybe he still holds you in high regards. Maybe he doesn't feel the way you do," Gin stated with a sly smile.

Naruto grinned back at the ex-captain, saying, "Better for me. If he's too caught up in nostalgia or deciding whether he should fight me, I'll kill him. Simple as that."

Gin shook his head.

"As I said before Naruto-san, truly cruel. Why do you forsake your past relationship? That's a bit cold. You must have a reason," Gin said with a raised eyebrow.

Naruto sighed.

"If you really must know, it is because of one thing, and one thing only," Naruto said, his tone serious.

He looked into Gin's eyes, and said, "Devotion."

Gin smiled even wider.

"I may not show it, but I'm very devoted to Aizen. He helped me. He gave me the thing that I need to accomplish my goals. He gave me power, so much that it shocks me. When I turned into an arrancar, my reiatsu was enough to surprise Aizen. I saw it. Many leaders would be wary of that power. Fear that it would surpass their own. Aizen, however, trusts me, more than anyone has ever trusted me. He doesn't keep tabs on me, he doesn't keep me here. I am free to go where I please. Hell, he even gave me this positioning in his forces. El Santo Verdugo, the Saint Executioner. A rank even higher than that of Espada! He allowed me to take this mantle without a second thought. For that, I am ever grateful. I don't know how powerful Aizen is. Not at all. I think he may be at a level above mine, even if it isn't much. I think he knows this as well. Yet, like I said, he still considers me an ally. I will let him lead me into the jaws of hell if he has to. Also, without his help, I may have never met Cirucci-chan. I am grateful for that as well. It was as though the moment I met him, my life just got better. I have true love, I get to fight strong opponents, I gain good friends, and I get power. I get it _all_. Aizen has been the catalyst for this. So I will follow him. And may God have mercy upon all that stands in his way, for I will not."

Gin applauded.

"A very good speech, Naruto-san! Now if you're done, can we get on with the sword training," Gin asked as he unsheathed his weapon.

Naruto grinned sheepishly, drawing his own sword. They clashed.

/

Naruto's blade popped up, blocking the extending form of Shinso. Naruto grunted as he was pushed back. This had been going on for five hours straight, now. Naruto pushed Gin's blade away, before exploding forward. The grinning ex-captain twisted out of the way of a thrust directed at his ribs. Shinso retracted, and Gin went for a decapitating swing. Naruto caught Gin's wrist, before pulling the man forward. Gin tried to fight against Naruto's grip, but Naruto's unnatural strength won. The silver haired Shinigami stumbled forward a bit, and Naruto lashed out with a snap kick. Gin brought his free arm to block, but the force of the kick still sent him flying into a wall. The grinning man smashed into the wall, causing a hole.

Gin stood up in the hole, and said, "Shoot him dead, Shinso!" The blade extended in a flash, glowing a bright white. Naruto leaped over the attack, but Gin showed his skill by swinging his extremely long blade.

Naruto cursed, and twisted out of the way of the powerful slash. He pushed off the flat of the blade as it passed him. Naruto shot forward, right at Gin. The blond raised his sword, holding it like a spear. With a powerful throw, the katana was sent soaring at Gin. The ex-captain frowned and jumped out of the hole. He dodged the projectile, and a good thing, too. He watched as the blade struck the spot Gin had vacated moments before. There was a huge cloud of dust as the blade caused a small scale explosion with the force put behind it.

"You should have kept your eyes on me, Gin-san."

Gin frowned as Naruto appeared behind him. He had his leg up in the air, ready to strike with an ax kick. Gin then grinned, raising his hand at Naruto.

"Hado Number 58: Tenran(2)," Gin said happily. Naruto had no time to react as a tornado exploded from Gin's hand. The blond gave a cry of surprise as he was ejected away from Gin, and right into the ceiling with a crash. Gin chuckled as he landed.

He looked up at Naruto, and said, "Hey Naruto-san! You can use arrancar techniques now!"

"Bala."

Gin was surprised as a compact ball of reiatsu hit him in the back. The Shinigami went skidding, before rolling to his feet. He was grinning brightly.

"I must say, Naruto-san, your sonido is truly quick! You caught me by surprise," Gin said cheerily. Naruto simply disappeared, reappearing next to his blade that was stuck in the wall. He wrenched it free, before vanishing once more. Gin raised his short sword, blocking a swing from a flying Naruto. It seemed that Naruto had expected this, only swinging with once hand. He formed a bala in the other, before firing it at Gin. The silver haired man jumped backwards, dodging the speedy attack. Naruto followed, his sword blurring upwards. Gin sidestepped the attack, before thrusting his short weapon at Naruto's face. Naruto vanished with sonido, appearing next to Gin. Naruto struck again, a stab directing itself at Gin's kidney. Gin shot Shinso, the flat of the extending blade blocking the tip of Naruto's sword. Naruto had to leap backward as Gin swung his lengthened sword.

Naruto landed in a crouch, his hand already flashing forward. There was a flash, and a cero was send barreling at Gin.

The Shinigami grinned still, saying, "Bakudo Number 39: Enkosen(3)!"

Immediately, a wall of reiatsu formed, blocking Naruto's cero. There was a small explosion, and Gin dashed at Naruto. The blond ducked down under a horizontal slash, before head butting Gin in the chest. The Shinigami stumbled backwards, and Naruto went for a diagonal slash. Gin blocked with his own blade, but Naruto pushed Gin's blade downwards. The man seemed surprised at the move. Naruto tilted his blade slightly, before bringing it upwards for a thrust. The tip of the blade zipped forward, making contact with Gin's neck.

And stopped.

Naruto smirked at the surprised Gin. Said Shinigami then broke out in his own smile.

"Very good, Naruto-san! You were able to win without me using shunpo," Gin said as he relaxed. Naruto removed his sword from the man's neck, before sheathing it.

"Yeah, I was wondering why you were going so slow. I doubt it would have taken this quick if you had been using shunpo," Naruto said.

Gin grinned a bit wider, saying, "That's very humble of you, Naruto. Knowing that you only won because I was holding back, instead of just saying you won because you were better."

Naruto nodded at his smiling sensei, saying, "Well, it's true. Not to mention I only started winning after I was able to use sonido. Your skills are apparent. I think I'd have to go as far as I could without using Resurrección, just to win without you using bankai."

Gin nodded to his student, before saying, "Well, that was fun. I'll see you around, Naruto-san!" Naruto waved to his sensei, and Gin used shunpo to leave. Naruto sighed as fell back. He landed on his back, looking up at the ceiling.

"Man, these training sessions are fun," Naruto said as he grinned. He looked to his left as he felt a presence. It was a familiar face, Halibel, the Tercera. He sat up and smiled at the only female Espada.

"Hey there, Halibel," he said with a friendly tone. The busty woman nodded to him, and he stood up. "So then, what brings you around here," Naruto asked.

Halibel looked at him, and said, "It's Nnoitera. He's finally patched up, and ready to go back to work. I thought I'd warn you."

Naruto chuckled, saying, "Thanks for the lowdown, Halibel. I'll have to keep an eye out for that crazy son of a bitch." Halibel nodded, and Naruto asked, "So, how did you enjoy the show?"

Halibel's eyebrows raised ever so slightly, and she said, "You sensed me?"

Naruto nodded, and said, "Yeah, you showed up around hour two. How did I look?"

Halibel shrugged, and said, "Well, you looked like what I expected. Your sword skills continued to improve a little bit with each hour. Your progress does not surprise me, seeing how strong you are."

Naruto shrugged this time, saying, "What can I say, I catch on quick."

He could feel Halibel frown, and she said, "That's not just it. You learn at a frighteningly fast pace. What you learned today had taken a week for me to improve. Such progression is unheard of. Even Stark used to take three days to learn what you did. Think about that. You accomplished what took three days to learn in only three _hours_. You will be a very formidable opponent to your adversaries."

Once again, Naruto shrugged.

"Well, I'm being pushed to learn this fast. Gin-san isn't very forgiving, despite his casual attitude," Naruto said as he turned to walk away. However, he sighed as another figure appeared.

"Hey Ulquiorra," Naruto said as the melancholy Espada emerged from the shadows.

"Naruto. I have come to tell you something," the Cuarta said, his tone neutral.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, asking, "What is it?"

Ulquiorra continued to look on with his somber expression, and said, "It's Grimmjow. He seems to be rounding up his Fracción to go to Karakura. Probably to fight Kurosaki Ichigo."

Naruto frowned as his face became serious.

He nodded at the melancholy Espada, and said, "Thanks Ulquiorra. I'll tail him, make sure he doesn't get his bloodthirsty ass killed."

Ulquiorra nodded, and slipped back into the shadows. Naruto turned to Halibel, and gave her a wave.

"See ya Halibel. Feel free to watch me the next time I train with Gin-san," Naruto said. The woman nodded, and Naruto flashed away with a sonido.

/

"What's that? You and Rin-san want to stay over?" Orihime asked as she stared into the grinning face of Matsumoto Rangiku and the sheepish grin of Rin. "That's fine, if you have business here," Orihime answered.

Immediately, Rangiku scooped up Orihime into a crushing hug.

The girl cried out, and Matsumoto cried, "A nice, quick answer! I knew you wouldn't let us down! Thank you so much Orihime!"

Rin raised her hand, and quietly said, "Rangiku-san, I think you're hurting the poor girl."

Matsumoto ignored Rin, and continued to give Orihime a crushing hug.

"I need a dip in the tub! Today was so frantic that I'm sweating all over. Even in the cleavage," Rangiku cried as she continued to glomp Orihime.

The orange haired girl pointed somewhere in her house, and muttered, "Eh, the bath is over there."

Rangiku nodded, and said, "Come on Orihime, join me! You too, Rin!"

Orihime put her hands up in defense, saying, "Eh...well I already did. I'll have to pass on that. Okay, Rangiku-san?"

Rin, however, smiled, saying, "Sure, I could use a bath. It'd be refreshing." Rangiku shot her hand up in victory.

/

"Finally," Grimmjow uttered, annoyed. Before him stood his five Fracción, Show Long, Di Roy, Edrad, Nakeem, and Yylfordt.

"I assume that no one was detected, right," Grimmjow asked with a scowl.

Show Long replied, "Of course not. Anyway, there seems to be several entities in the area that are showing a noticeable reiatsu...but they were not included in Ulquiorra's reports."

Grimmjow's scowl deepened, as he said, "Damn! Alright, let's do our search."

The Espada and his five subordinates closed their eyes, and began searching for reiatsu signatures. Grimmjow frowned.

"Just as I thought. There are more now," the Sexta said, his voice showing annoyance. He opened his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck, saying, "The chances of them having reinforcements are high. Be careful, this operation might get complicated."

Grimmjow looked over the city, thinking of Naruto and Ulquiorra.

He scowled in disgust, saying, "Those coward bastards were fools!"

"Oi, I resent that!"

Grimmjow's eyes widened as he turned around. Behind him and his Fracción was a Garganta, and from it was stepping Uzumaki Naruto.

Anger rose up in Grimmjow, and he yelled, "What the fuck are doing here? Get lost, you weak coward."

Naruto sneered at the Sexta, and said, "Shut your hole. I'm here to make sure you don't fuck up and get yourself destroyed!"

Grimmjow smirked, saying confidently, "Me, die? Don't make me laugh. We've already sensed the reiatsu around here, and it ain't nothing we can't handle! We'll massacre them!"

Naruto frowned deeply. "Is that so? Alright then, let me check for myself," Naruto said, closing his eyes. He began his own search, and frowned even deeper when he detected two particular signatures. He opened his eyes and glared at Grimmjow.

"You idiot. I just picked up two signatures that were easily captain-class, excluding Uruhara Kisuke and Kurosaki Ichigo. Do you want to get you and your men killed?" Naruto asked angrily.

Grimmjow scoffed at the boy.

"Have you forgotten? I'm an Espada, way stronger than any of these guys. A captain will be a piece of cake," Grimmjow growled, his tone cocky.

Naruto leered at the Sexta, and said, "You forget, Grimmjow. You're only the Sixth Espada. You're far from the top of the food chain, so you'd better cut that superiority shit out."

Grimmjow smirked at Naruto, saying, "And what if I don't? What are you gonna do?"

Before Grimmjow knew what was happening, a blade was pressed against his throat. It had cut him very slightly, drawing a small trickle of blood. Naruto was staring into Grimmjow's eyes, his face solemn.

"If you do not cut this shit out, I'm gonna scalp you. If you don't know what that means, _Kitten-san_, it means I'll lop off the top of your skull. I doubt you want that to happen, now do ya?" Naruto asked.

Grimmjow had growled in rage at being called Kitten-san, and obvious poke at his sword. Grimmjow relented, however. He backed down, his face a mask of frustration.

"Good. Now, I'm not saying you can't go out and fight. I'm asking if you think it's a good idea to send your Fracción against captain-class Shinigami?" Naruto said as he lowered his blade.

Grimmjow sneered, and said, "I could care less about who fights who. As long as I get my hands on that kid."

Naruto glared at Grimmjow, but said, "Very well. Carry on then. We'll see how this day turns out. Hopefully, you'll learn something from it."

Grimmjow just scoffed at Naruto. He turned back to the city.

"All right, everyone. It's time. The mission ain't too hard. I don't care who they are. If they show even one bit of reiatsu, we just kill them. Kill them all," Grimmjow said. His face was a visage of disgust and anger.

Naruto could only shake his head.

**END**

/

(1)- Aturdir, Spanish for "numb." It lowers the amount of pain Naruto feels, along with pleasure it seems.

(2)- Hado Number 58: Tenran. Means Orchid Sky. Launches a tornado at an opponent. An offensive kido.

(3)- Bakudo Number 39: Enkosen. Means Arc Shield. Creates a shield of reiatsu, which then blocks attacks. A defensive kido.

This is a chapter that will lead up to Naruto's first contact with someone linked to his life as a shinobi. He will have a fight with Rin, and it should be enjoyable. Also, he will be the one to punish Grimmjow when Tousen brings him back. See all of you on the next chapter!


	11. X Fight the Beast With Silk

**Antagonist**

by Kalashnikov2092

Disclaimer: If you could own Naruto and Bleach, what would you change? I still don't own Naruto and Bleach.

Author's Musings: I'm here for another chapter. This time around, Naruto will be having a battle with Rin. Remember, Rin is one of the candidates for captain, so she does know bankai. The battle with be a good one, I hope. You'll also get to see Grimmjow receive punishment from Naruto, instead of Tousen. Well then, I hope you have a good time!

/

"The thrill, believe me, is as much in the battle as in the victory." - David Sarnoff

"Treating your adversary with respect is striking soft in battle." - Samuel Johnson

/

X: Fight the Beast With Silk

"Great! Looks like everyone's accounted for," Grimmjow said as he floated. His Fracción smiled, while Naruto frowned. "So! Do not let even one of them get away," Grimmjow yelled. With that, the Fracción barreled off into different directions.

Naruto stayed behind, a deep frown etched across his face.

"I hope you know what you're doing. Because if you don't, they will die because of it," Naruto said gravely. He disappeared with sonido.

Grimmjow was left to frown, all by himself.

/

Hitsugaya, Rangiku, and Rin had already popped their Soul Candy, and were presently on top of Orihime's apartment.

"Captain!" Rangiku cried as her and Rin saw the young looking captain.

Toshiro nodded at the two, asking, "And Orihime?"

Rin answered, saying, "I asked her to look after our Gigai. She shouldn't get involved in this battle."

Toshiro nodded again, before saying, "Good. Get ready for battle, Matsumoto, Rin. They are here."

There was a blur, and two figures stood before them. The three Shinigami's eyes widened at the speed.

Shaw Long and Nakeem looked down upon the three of them, Shaw Long saying, "How do you do?" Hitsugaya blocked a sword swing from the Fracción, and the two locked up. "Hello. My name is Shaw Long, the eleventh arrancar," the tall arrancar said.

Hitsugaya looked into Shaw Long's eyes, and said, "Tenth Division _Captain_, Hitsugaya Toshiro at your service."

The two combatants leaped away from each other.

"The Tenth Division Captain? Thanks for the tip, kid."

Toshiro's eyes widened as he suddenly felt a presence behind him. He turned, to find another arrancar behind him.

The arrancar bowed deeply, saying, "Allow me to give my introduction. I am El Santo Verdugo, and I'm here to kill you."

Toshiro's eyes widened at the name.

"You, you're," Hitsugaya started, but Rin finished for him.

"Uzumaki Naruto," she uttered, and Naruto frowned deeply.

He turned towards the woman, and said, "So someone from my past must have identified me from the reports. Who was it, Sasuke, or Jiraiya?"

Rin frowned at the boy, saying, "It was neither of them. We were informed by Hatake Kakashi, your former sensei."

Naruto's eyebrows shot up, and he sighed.

"Jesus, is there anyone from my past that ain't a Shinigami? Who's next, Lee?" Naruto asked sarcastically.

Rin looked distraught, and yelled, "How can you be so calm? Your enemies were once your friends! There are so many of them! Kakashi, Asuma, Shizune, Sarutobi-sama, Sakura-" Naruto's reiatsu flared at the name, and Rin stopped. He looked down at her, disgusted.

"Do you think such people matter to me anymore? How foolish. What was between us is dead and buried, literally. Now, I'm out for their hides," Naruto said as he drew his blade.

Rin glared at him, shouting, "What is wrong with you? They still consider you friends! How can you not feel the same?"

Naruto sighed in frustration.

"You dumb cunt, haven't you listened to one word I've said? Now stop flapping your gums and fight," Naruto roared as he shot forward.

Rin cursed as she jumped backwards. Naruto's fist flashed through the spot where Rin's head once resided, before shooting at the woman again. Rin could only cross her arms to block a zipping kick. Her eyes widened as she felt the power behind the attack, before being sent flying backwards, into the air.

She landed on seemingly nothing, before Naruto was upon her again. She tried to dodge a powerful left hook, but was too slow. She cried out as Naruto's fist wiped across her jaw. She flew back, once again stopping on nothing.

She cursed, before shouting, "Why? Why are you on Aizen's side?"

"Why do you care so much?"

Rin cried out as a fist was buried into the small of her back. She stumbled forwards, and then jumped away. She turned back to him, watching as his cassock flowed gently in the wind.

"Why do I care so much? I knew Kakashi, I knew Jiraiya. I knew almost all of them! Naruto, I was a student of your father's, and I," she was cut off as Naruto began to laugh. She glared at him, asking desperately, "Why? Why are you laughing?"

Naruto's laughter faded, and he smirked at Rin.

"My father? Do you think I give a shit if you were taught by my father? How sadly mistaken you are. I already told you, such things are dead and buried. Now stop talking and fucking fight," Naruto said with a sneer.

Rin closed her eyes and frowned.

"Very well. I see that you cannot be saved. I will fight now," Rin said as she drew her blade.

Naruto scoffed, saying, "Saved? Fuck that noise, I need no such thing. Just come, I'm getting bored."

Rin held her blade above her head, and opened her eyes.

"Wrap, Kinujoou(1)," the woman uttered, and light exploded from her zanpakutō. It was a pale purple light, almost like lavender. The light wrapped around Rin, and there was a flash. Naruto stared on, face blank. The flash ended, and Rin stood with her weapon ready.

No longer did a blade come from the guard of her sword. Instead, a long strip of white cloth hung limply.

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"What are you going to do with that thing? Are you into bondage or something?" Naruto asked.

Rin blushed deeply, before glaring at the boy.

"Take this!" she yelled, and swung her hilt. The piece of cloth suddenly shot forward, its end reaching for Naruto's face. The boy narrowed his eyes and dodged. The piece of cloth zipped by him, piercing clean through the roof of a house. Naruto whistled.

"I see, the blade of the sword has been replaced by a razor sharp piece of fabric, which you are able to manipulate with your reiatsu," Naruto stated as he held his blade in front of him.

Rin's eyebrows raised a bit, surprised that the boy had correctly guessed how her weapon worked. She then glared at him.

Naruto chuckled, and dodged a swing from the razor cloth. He shot at Rin, his blade reared back for a stab. However, he suddenly stopped with a jerk. He looked down to see the cloth had come back and wrapped itself around his ankle. He let out a cry as Rin swung again, whipping Naruto into the ground. Naruto quickly pulled himself free, his hierro easily withstanding the simple attack. He shot his arm up, a cero firing immediately. Rin recalled her cloth, just at the cero reached her. There was an explosion, and Naruto frowned as the smoke cleared.

Rin had created a dome out of the cloth. It seemed the cloth extended, much like Gin's Shinso.

"So it acts as a defense too. Oh well, I'll still massacre you," Naruto said as he exploded forward once more.

Rin smirked and sent her weapon at him again. This time, Naruto shot a bala at the cloth, batting it away with ease. He then was in front of Rin, his sword already coming down in a slash. Rin cursed and formed a small shield with her cloth. The impact of Naruto's sword was tremendous, shattering the shield with ease. Rin jumped backwards, extending the cloth to its original length. He twitched her wrist, and the cloth became completely rigid.

Naruto was surprised as Rin surged forward with a lateral slash. Naruto's free hand shot up, blocking the attack. Rin's eyes widened at seeing Naruto block her attack with a bare hand. She cried out as Naruto's blade left a shallow cut along her left thigh. She retreated a bit, holding a hand over the wound. Naruto would not allow this, moving forward. His sword came up for a thrust at Rin's throat, and the woman dodged the stab. She spun, striking out with a slash directed at Naruto's face. The blond ducked under her weapon and spun. He went for a windmill kick, which she promptly leaped away from. In midair, she sent her cloth out again, aiming to decapitate Naruto. El Santo Verdugo brought his sword up, blocking blade-first. The two weapons met, and Naruto's blade sheared through Rin's cloth right down the middle. The woman cursed and brought her weapon back.

Naruto smirked, saying, "Come on now. I sensed you when we first arrived here. You're captain-class, even if it's just barely so. You need to start giving me a better fight, or else I'll kill you very soon."

Rin smirked back, and sent her halved cloth back at Naruto. The blond sighed and dodged by leaping over the attack. However, he stumbled a bit as he found the cloth wrapped around his foot. Or, more accurately, the left half of the cloth. His eyes widened as the other half came up, trying to slash at his face. Naruto frowned and brought his sword up to block. The two attacks clashed for about a second, before Rin's cloth went limp. It wrapped around Naruto's sword. Naruto cursed as Rin once again picked him up and slammed him into the ground. There was a loud crash, but Naruto's hierro stayed true. With a grunt, he pulled his sword from the cloth's grip, tearing the cloth in the process. Naruto swung his blade behind him, cutting the piece of cloth wrapped around his foot.

He brushed himself off and looked back up at Rin.

He put his hand next to his mouth and shouted, "Hey! Is that all you got, you bitch?"

He chuckled as he felt the killing intent roll off of the woman. She appeared before him, using a shunpo. Naruto easily blocked a swing from Rin's cloth sword, before grasping her wrist. He pulled her forward, catching her head in a clothesline. She cried out as she smashed into the ground. Naruto raised his foot, seeking to curb stomp the woman. She quickly formed another shield with her zanpakutō. Naruto's foot plowed into the shield, cracking it slightly. Rin rolled out of the way, and Naruto's foot broke through her shield.

She extended her cloth some more, and went for a stab. Naruto's free hand shot up, blocking it. She expected this, letting her cloth run limp and wrap around Naruto's hand. She jumped backwards, trying to pull the boy with her. However, Naruto gave his own yank, jerking Rin back at him. The woman had to twist her body, taking only a shallow cut along the inside of her arm, thanks to a thrust from Naruto. She tried to retract her cloth from Naruto's hand, but Naruto's strength outmatched her zanpakutō's. She was pulled forward again, but this time twitched her wrist. There was a snap, and the portion of the cloth in Naruto's hand snapped off. Naruto stumbled backwards a bit, off balance. Rin struck, her zanpakutō going for a diagonal swipe. Naruto leaned backwards, effectively dodging the strike. He back flipped away, landing on top of a building. He began to move again, but stopped all of a sudden, his eyes wide.

The blond looked away into the distance.

"Di Roy," Naruto muttered. Then his expression became angry, and he yelled, "Dammit, I told that idiot that this would happen! Did he listen? No, and now Di Roy is dead. Son of a bitch!"

Rin took this time to attack, raising her arm and crying, "Hado Number 33: Sokatsui(2)!"

A blue mass of energy shaped in her hand, before flying at Naruto. He turned back to Rin and frowned. The blue energy smashed into his position, exploding brilliantly. Rin smirked a bit and waited for the smoke to clear.

"Jeez, can't a guy have a moment to himself without getting attacked?"

Rin cried out as the tip of Naruto's blade slid through her back. She stumbled forward a bit, blood running from the wound. As she did, Naruto appeared next to her, his foot exploding against her stomach in a snap kick. The woman was flung backwards like a rag doll, smashing into the side of a building. She fell limply from the indentation, and Naruto was there. He stomped on her midair, and she was sent sailing into the ground. She cried out painfully, blood flying from her mouth. Naruto landed next to the woman, his face bored.

"Are you really even trying? Because if you are, I can't believe how weak of a Shinigami you are," Naruto asked as he nudged her with his foot.

"Bankai."

Naruto's eyes widened as reiatsu oozed from the woman. Her sword's cloth extended, wrapping itself around her body. There was an explosion of the lavender colored reiatsu, and Rin stood before him, her bankai activated.

"Jinkun Kinujoou(3)."

She was wrapped in the cloth from before, but now it was the lavender color of Rin's reiatsu. There were knots on her back, five exactly. From these knots hung dozens of strips of the cloth. There was also a knot on the bottom of each wrist, and from them only a single strip each.

Rin pointed at Naruto, and uttered, "Ten."

Immediately, ten strips of cloth came to life on her back. The strips flew forward, hoping to annihilate Naruto. Only they were much faster than Rin's shikai, at least five times as much. Naruto quickly used sonido to dodge the hail of piercing cloth, before flinging himself at Rin. The woman calmly brought her hands up, and the strips under her wrists stiffened into blades. She grasped them, and shot at Naruto. The blond arrancar's blade came up, blocking a slash from Rin's right blade, before ducking under a swipe from her left. He spun away, firing a volley of bala at the woman. Immediately, the strips on Rin's back sprung forward, striking each bala. There were small explosions, and Naruto's volley was defeated.

However, Naruto grinned brightly, saying, "Good! You're making this better for me." His hand shot forward again, but this time he fired a cero. The "hollow flash" soared at Rin, but the woman formed a dome-like shield with her strips. The power of the cero still sent Rin backwards, but did not hurt her. The attack exploded, and Rin flew at Naruto. Naruto had to flip upwards to dodge a hail of piercing cloths. As he faced towards Rin, he smiled. He opened his mouth a bit, and a vortex extended from his tongue.

"Bifurcación Cero," Naruto said with a grin. The vortex exploded into rods of light, all of them flying towards Rin. The hail of piercing cloths flew at the rods.

Where they were promptly disintegrated.

Rin's eyes widened as her weapons were destroyed. The rods of light converged, turning into a single cero. The attack hit Rin head on, causing an enormous explosion. Her form was sent sailing from the burst, smashing through a forest. She quickly flipped, landing on her feet. She wasn't too hurt, the cloths covering her body absorbing most of the attack. However, the skin around the right side of her stomach was raw and bleeding. This was the spot where the tip of the cero had made contact. The cloths that had been destroyed slowly began to grow back, and Naruto appeared in front of Rin.

"So, you were able to take the attack head on. Not bad," Naruto said with a smile. Rin glared at him, and took hold of the blades that came from the knots on her wrists.

The two met in a clash, Naruto striking out with a jab. Rin blocked with her left blade, before going for a thrust with her right. Naruto's own blade blocked the thrust with its flat. The two remained in a dead lock, before Naruto twisted away. He went for a spinning swing at Rin's head, but strips came up from her back and blocked the strike. Naruto twisted the other way, going for a kick. Rin crossed her blades to block, before pushing Naruto away. The blond flipped backwards, before firing off a bala. The speedy cero was sidestepped by Rin, who then sent a wave of piercing cloth at Naruto. The young arrancar flashed his hands a dozen times, launching a decent amount of bala. The attacks negated each other, and Naruto dashed at Rin. She tried to get him with a stab at his stomach, but Naruto turned away from the attack. He grabbed Rin's wrist, and pulled her forward.

Because Naruto had still been traveling forward when he pulled Rin towards him, he was now behind the woman. He turned, striking out with a flashing thrust. The strips on Rin's back quickly formed into a barrier. However, Naruto's zanpakutō still punched through, though admittedly weaker. The tip of the blade stabbed into Rin's back, and she hissed in pain. She spun around, forcing the blade out of her back. She tried for a slash across Naruto's throat, but Naruto blocked the attack. He looked off into the distance, his face formed into a scowl.

"Dammit! Edrad is dead too? Fucking Grimmjow," Naruto said with a fierce glare.

Rin went to attack again, but was surprised when Naruto appeared in her guard, a bala smashing into her chest. She was sent rocketing away, straight into a large rock, destroying it. She grimaced and got up. Naruto was upon her, his blade swinging down upon her. She brought her blades up to block, but gasped when Naruto cleaved straight through them. She let out a cry of pain as Naruto's blade slashed her down the front. Blood blossomed from the injury, and Rin had to jump away.

Naruto looked at her, his face neutral.

"Are you confused? Confused at why I'm overpowering you now? The answer is very simple. I haven't been taking this battle seriously. I wanted to see everything you got, and it seems you've shown me all of it. I'm done playing games. I'm gonna kill you now," Naruto said as reiatsu began to pour off of him.

Rin grimaced, and said, "Why are you being this way. Everyone told me you were peaceful when you were alive. A completely pure soul! Why are you like this? Why are you so evil?"

Naruto gave a bellow of laughter.

"Evil? You've got to be kidding me. I'm only 'evil' because you label me as so. If a Shinigami were to act the way I am to a hollow, would they be evil? What if I was a Shinigami, and all my old friends were arrancar, and I wanted to kill them? Am I evil then? Or am I doing a good job? Evil is a name given to someone when they act oppositely to another. That is the truth of evil. Now I'm done fucking talking. Choke on your own blood," Naruto cried as he was about to strike.

However, he stopped as a burst of static came from Rin.

"_Captain, Renji, Rin! The __limit release has been approved!"_

Naruto raised an eyebrow as Rin grinned widely. "Good! Now I can finish this," Rin said as she pressed a thumb against her neck. There was a glow, and a symbol in the shape of a Summer Snowflake flower appeared under her thumb.

"Limit Release," Rin cried, and the symbol under her thumb dissipated. Naruto raised an eyebrow as the woman's reiatsu quadrupled.

Then, Naruto smirked. "Do you think that that much of an increase in strength will be enough to kill me. My, you are quite stupid," Naruto said with a smile.

Rin smirked, and said, "That's what you think! Take this, Hundred!"

Suddenly, the strips on her back multiplied until there was a hundred. They reared back, before striking all at once.

Naruto smiled.

"Cero Cascada," Naruto said as he raised his hand. A flood of liquefied cero rushed at Rin's cloths. The two attacks met, and Rin's attack was thwarted in no time. The Cero Cascada dissolved them, before fading away. Naruto chuckled as he disappeared.

Rin's eyes widened as a gash ran along the entire length of her right arm. Blood exploded from the wound, and Rin cried out. She had felt the slash, Naruto's blade filleting her arm and cutting halfway through the bone. She doubled over in pain, and a horrendously powerful uppercut smashed into her mouth. The woman was sent smashing through the forest, landing in a heap. She got up shakily, holding her mouth. It was bleeding horribly, pouring through the gaps between her fingers. She searched for her opponent.

She was scalped.

Rin had no idea what was happening when Naruto's blade sheared off the top of her skull. Blood splashed onto the dirt as she toppled over, clearly dead. Her bankai faded, and Naruto looked down on her corpse.

"A good way to send a message," Naruto said with a sneer. He turned around to walk away, when he felt it. A raise in reiatsu from all those Shinigami. Much more than any of Grimmjow's Fracción. He reacted immediately, summoning a Bifurcación Cero. This time, however, the rods were smaller and quicker.

"Please make it," Naruto whispered desperately.

/

Matsumoto was in mid shunpo when she was hit with one of the Bifurcación Cero rods. She never was able to strike her large opponent.

/

Hitsugaya blocked the rod sent at him with wings made of ice. However, the attack was too strong. He cried out as he was sent smashing down to earth. He wasn't able to get Shaw Long.

/

Renji had no idea what was happening when a cero crashed into his back. He gave a cough of blood as he was sent careening into Uruhara's shop. His opponent was left unharmed.

/

Naruto sighed as he felt his Bifurcación Cero rods hit their targets.

Naruto cupped his hands around his mouth, and screamed, "SUBORDINATES OF GRIMMJOW! COME TO MY POSITION IMMEDIATELY!"

He smiled in relief as he felt the three of them use sonido. They appeared next to him a moment later, all looking worse for wear. Naruto nodded towards the three of them, and opened a Garganta.

"All of you, go back to Las Noches. Get some medical treatment for your wounds," Naruto said as he ushered them forward. The three stepped forward, and entered the Garganta.

Shaw Long was the last to go, and he uttered, "Thank you for the save, Naruto-san." Naruto smiled at him and pushed him into the Garganta.

Naruto frowned deeply and looked off into the distance. He'd deal with Grimmjow later. He stepped into the Garganta.

/

It was a while later that Grimmjow arrived, escorted by Tousen. Naruto noticed that Grimmjow looked like he had gotten quite the beating.

_Tch, and he calls me weak. Getting injured from that little shit. But, that's not the worst you'll get Grimmjow. Not by a long shot,_ Naruto thought as he stared coldly at the Sexta Espada.

Aizen looked upon his soldier, and said, "Welcome home, Grimmjow."

There was a long silence.

Tousen turned towards the Sexta, and asked, "Well? Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Grimmjow frowned deeper, and said, "No. Not a damn thing."

Tousen glared at Grimmjow, hissing, "You bastard."

Aizen, on the other hand, continued to smile.

"It is alright, Kaname. I'm not upset. Not at all," Aizen began.

Tousen stepped forward, saying, "Aizen-sama-"

Aizen continued, saying, "I feel that Grimmjow's actions were indicative of a rare loyalty and desire to serve. Is that not so, Grimmjow?"

Grimmjow hesitated for a moment, before saying, "Yeah, that's right."

Naruto saw the anger rise up in Tousen, and it didn't surprise him when Tousen's hand shot out and grabbed Grimmjow's shoulder roughly.

Grimmjow turned to him with a frown, asking, "What are you doing, Tousen?"

Anger surfaced again, and Kaname raised his sword above his head.

"Aizen-sama! Allow me to execute this man," Kaname cried out.

Aizen's smile waned a bit, and he said, "Kaname..."

Grimmjow, however, grinned.

"Ah, this is a personal thing, ain't it? You just have something against me, don't ya? Does that kind of attitude go over well in a commanding officer?" Grimmjow asked mockingly.

Kaname frowned at Grimmjow, saying, "I think I should not have to tolerate those who lust for discord. That is all."

Grimmjow scowled, asking, "Doing it for the good of the organization?"

Kaname shook his head.

"For the good of Aizen-sama," Kaname said.

Grimmjow smirked, and said mockingly, "Ha! You're good at hoisting up that great cause of yours!"

Surprisingly, Tousen smiled, saying, "Yes. It is a great cause. Something that is severely missing from you actions. Justice without a great cause begets nothing more than slaughter. However, that same slaughter in the name of a great cause is..."

Naruto moved when Kaname did. His hand came up, grabbing Tousen's arm before his could cut of Grimmjow's arm.

Kaname seemed surprised, and Aizen said, "Naruto, what exactly are you doing?"

Instead of answering to Aizen, he turned to Kaname.

"I am sorry, Tousen-san. I simply did not want you to stain your hands with the blood of such a savage," Naruto said. Kaname was taken aback by this. Naruto frowned, and said, "Savagery should not have to be committed by a man who does not enjoy it. So, I shall do it in his stead."

Grimmjow's eyes widened at this. Before the Sexta knew what was happening, a fist had crashed against his face. He cried out as he flew back into the wall. Naruto appeared before him, a scowl on his face. Grimmjow tried to strike Naruto, but Naruto struck first. His fist buried itself in Grimmjow's stomach, and the Sexta cried out. Naruto's left hand grasped Grimmjow's face, before smashing the arrancar's head against the wall. Naruto then pulled Grimmjow's head to the left, leaving his neck wide open.

Naruto opened his mouth, before sinking his teeth into the spot between Grimmjow's left shoulder and neck.

The Espada screamed in pain as Naruto's fangs took hold of muscle. Naruto's right hand grasped Grimmjow's left wrist. The blond, with his teeth still in Grimmjow's neck, looked into the Espada's eyes with his own blazing red eyes. Naruto began to pull Grimmjow's left arm, and the Espada's eyes widened.

There was a few snaps.

Then a pop.

A wet tearing sound permeated throughout the room, for Uzumaki Naruto had torn Grimmjow's left arm clean off.

The Espada screamed bloody murder as blood exploded from the wound. Naruto withdrew his teeth, and he threw Grimmjow's arm to the side.

He turned to Tousen, blood trickling down his chin, before saying, "Would you like to have the honors?"

Kaname brought his hand up, and said, "Hado Number 54: Haien(4)." He swung his arm down, and a purple crescent flew at Grimmjow's severed arm. The attack made contact with the arm, and the appendage burst into fire. Grimmjow saw this and roared in pain and anger. He tried to get up, but Naruto kicked him in the face, sending him skidding on his back.

"Grimmjow, do you have any idea what your recklessness caused today? Both Di Roy and Edrad are dead, all because you wanted to fight some weak Shinigami. Hell, the rest of your Fracción almost died. It was a good thing I was there to help out," Naruto said. Grimmjow tried to get up, but Naruto appeared above him, and pressed his foot against the Espada's neck, pushing him back down. "You must always be thinking about consequences when you go into battle. If you do not, you could lose good men like Di Roy and Edrad. Keep that in mind the next time you lead a mission. Though, with only one arm, you probably will be removed from the Espada," Naruto said with a smirk.

Grimmjow's eyes widened in rage, but he did not speak.

Naruto removed his foot from Grimmjow's throat and turned towards Aizen.

He bowed, and said, "I apologize for using such brutality, but I thought it necessary to teach Grimmjow his lesson." Aizen smiled and waved it off.

"I understand. Just don't be going around doing that too all my soldiers," Aizen said. Naruto gave a grin and a mock salute. Aizen gave a chuckle, and said, "Everything is done. Let us retire."

Naruto left immediately, whistling a happy tune as he walked down the hall. This day had been good in total. He got to kill a strong opponent, he cut down the losses, and he got to brutalize Grimmjow. Not bad.

And not bad is something Naruto could accept with a bright grin and a whistling of a tune.

**END**

/

(1)- Kinujoou: Silk Queen.

(2)- Hado Number 33: Sokatsui. Means Blue Fire, Crash Down.

(3)- Jinkun Kinujoou: Sovereign Silk Queen.

(4)- Hado Number 54: Haien. Means Abolishing Flames.


	12. XI Ties Cut With the Executioner's Blade

**Antagonist**

by Kalashnikov2092

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach.

Author's Musings: I got some positive reactions from my fans on the last chapter. However, many will be disappointed to hear Rin will live. Orihime will be using her power to revive the woman. So, a lot of this chapter will be about the reactions in Soul Society. Also, there will be an interesting plot twist at the end! Read on to find out.

/

"You must not fear death, my lads; defy him, and you drive him into the enemy's ranks." - Napoleon Bonaparte

/

XI: Ties Cut With the Executioner's Blade

Orihime desperately put herself into the work before her. Tears, warm and salty, blurred her vision. This was a good thing, because if she could see, she would be looking at the gruesome sight of Rin. The woman no longer had the top of her skull, and her brain was exposed for all to see. The group of Shinigami huddled around the scene, amazement apparent on their faces. Slowly but surely, the top of Rin's skull was reforming.

"Do you think that she will be okay?" Rangiku asked, worried.

Hitsugaya nodded, saying, "Yes. Orihime has already restored most of Rin's skull. It may take a while, but Rin will live. However, she may never be the same." Matsumoto could only bite her lip in worry.

It took another ten minutes, but Rin was now fully healed, injuries to her arm, back, and front as well. Rin blinked. She slowly began to sit up. When she did, she looked at herself.

"I'm alive?" the woman asked, completely shocked. She looked around, finding her companions standing around her. She was still surprised, asking, "But how is this possible? I could have sworn...I died! He...he killed me..."

Hitsugaya shook his head.

"No. He did enough damage to you to put you in a coma. You were still alive when we found you, but just barely. If it wasn't for Inoue-san, you would be gone for good," the young-looking captain said. Rin turned her head to Orihime. The girl was smiling at her, looking completely relieved. "We're sending you back," the captain said suddenly.

Rin snapped her head towards Hitsugaya. "What do you mean? I can't leave," Rin said desperately.

Toshiro gave Rin a stern look and said, "Rin, you can, and you will. We need to send you back to Soul Society. You've just gone through an extremely traumatizing situation. You need to recuperate."

Rin looked at the boy, her eyes clearly showing desperation. "Please, Hitsugaya-taichou! I need to stay here. What if he comes back?" Rin said.

"Rin! That's enough. There are many good Shinigami here, we can handle him. He may not even be an Espada," Toshiro said evenly. Rin raised an eyebrow.

"What's an Espada?" the woman asked.

Toshiro frowned, and said, "I received some interesting information from from the arrancar I fought. Apparently, the Espada are the ten strongest arrancar under Aizen's command. He also said that one Espada had been with them. He said that the Espada's name was Grimmjow, not Naruto. So, for all we know, Naruto could just be a grunt."

Rin shook her head. "No, Naruto has to be an Espada. He was strong. So strong that my bankai didn't even scratch him. He defeated me without any apparent injuries. There were very few times in our battle that I was even able to touch him. And the scariest part is that when I released my limit, he struck me down almost immediately. I didn't even get a chance to use my strongest attack before he beat me. Naruto has to be an Espada...or something even greater," Rin said, her voice grave.

Toshiro raised an eyebrow, saying, "Do you really think so? Could he really be something better than Espada?"

Rin frowned, and said, "Possibly. That, or he is high in the ranks. I mean, he defeated Yoruichi and Ichigo. Both of whom are easily captain-class. Also, in all three of the battles he has been in, he won without getting injured. There is one last thing, as well. Even though he defeated me when I used both bankai and the limit release, I don't think I saw even a quarter of his full power."

All were quiet. Then, Renji spoke up. "Did he use his release?" the red haired Shinigami asked.

Rin shook her head. "He used his sword in combat, but he did not use any sort of release. Why, did your opponents uses a release?" Rin asked.

Toshiro shook his head, and said, "No. Only Madarame, Renji, and myself fought an opponent that used their release. They call it 'Resurrección.' It releases their true power, and makes them incredibly strong. If it wasn't for the surprise use of the limit release, we might have lost. We didn't even fight any Espada. Ichigo fought the Sixth Espada, but he would have lost. This Espada didn't use his Resurrección."

Rin frowned deeply. "Was the Espada even injured by Ichigo?" the woman asked.

Thankfully, Hitsugaya nodded, saying, "Yeah. Ichigo was able to give him a nasty wound with his Getsuga Tenshou. However, if the reports are correct, Ichigo used this attack on Naruto in their encounter. Naruto trounced it easily. So, this shows the difference in power between this Espada and Naruto. Dammit. If Aizen has a monster like this in his army, Soul Society will be in a heap of trouble."

Rin frowned even deeper, saying, "This is why I need to stay. I fought him alone, but if we fight him all together, we might win! You have to let me stay."

"No. You're returning to Soul Society immediately," Toshiro said sternly.

"Why? Why is it so important that I go back?" Rin screamed.

"To tell your friends from Konoha."

Rin's eyes widened. The woman bowed, saying, "Yes, of course. Forgive me for my rudeness, taichou!" Toshiro sighed deeply and nodded to the woman.

"Just hurry on back, then. I've already informed everyone that you'll be returning," Hitsugaya said as he turned to walk away.

Rin nodded to the captain, saying, "Hai!"

/

Kakashi was waiting at the portal when Rin came through. He waved at her, and she began to cry. She ran over to him, tears pouring down her face. He was surprised at her reaction, but embraced her nonetheless.

"Rin, what's the matter?" Kakashi asked.

The woman ended her hug, and looked up at him. "I-I fought him, Kakashi-kun. I fought Naruto," she said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Kakashi's eyes widened exponentially.

"What? You fought Naruto? Are you okay? What happened?" the masked Shinigami asked.

"He...he was so powerful. He showed me no mercy whatsoever. Every time I would use something new, it was like it was child's play to him. Shikai, bankai, limit release, it didn't matter. Everything was thwarted by him. Kakashi...he basically could have killed me. I was a hair's width away from death," the woman said shakily.

Kakashi's eye widened. "He...he almost killed you? How?" Kakashi asked.

Rin grimaced, recalling the memory of her defeat.

"He scalped me, Kakashi. He scalped me, and I thought I had died. If he had known that I was alive, I wouldn't be here right now. Still, I almost bled to death afterwards. If it wasn't Orihime-chan, I would have surely died," Rin said.

Kakashi was staring at her, horror obvious on his face, even with the mask. To use such a brutal way to defeat his opponent...was this really Naruto?

That was when Obito and Jiraiya walked into the room. They smiled as they spotted Rin.

"Rin-chan, they said you were returning. Why the change all of a sudden?" Obito asked, his tone friendly.

Rin looked down. Kakashi sighed and turned to his companions.

"Jiraiya, Obito. We need to gather everyone up. Naruto has made himself known again," Kakashi said.

Jiraiya's face became serious, and he nodded. Obito's eyes widened and he looked at Rin.

He seemed to realize something, and Obito said, "Rin...did you fight him?" The woman looked away, and Obito scowled. "What did he do to you?" Obito asked angrily.

Kakashi sighed.

"Obito, she'll tell her story when everyone has gathered," Kakashi said. Obito glared at his old friend.

"No Kakashi! I want to find out what that kid did to Rin, right this instant," Obito said angrily.

Kakashi gave his own stern look, saying, "Obito, she'll tell when we have everyone. Please, just drop it. She doesn't want to bring it up too much."

Obito's eyes widened, before he looked away, nodding. The Uchiha walked away, going to get the rest of the former Konoha ninja.

Kakashi sighed, a faraway look entering his eye.

_Naruto...what exactly have you become?_

/

"Jeez, Naruto. You sure didn't show that chick any mercy," Yammy said after Naruto told the tale of his battle.

Naruto shrugged, saying, "Hey, she was a weak Shinigami. Such trash deserves to die."

Yammy gave a bellow of laughter. Naruto and the ten Espada, including the new Sexta, Luppi, were hanging out in the dining hall.

Halibel shook her head, saying, "You could have at least used a more civilized way of execution on the poor woman. Scalping is a very painful way to die."

Nnoitera snorted, and said, "Whatever. I think it ain't brutal enough. I prefer to give a nice blow to the top of the skull, and watch their brains fly all over the place. Your method still involves their brain being in one piece. Fucking boring"

Naruto sneered in disgust, saying, "Fuck off. I enjoy my clothes to be brain matter-free, thank you."

Halibel still shook her head, and said, "Either way is so horrible. Why can't you just go with Ulquiorra's method. A quick thrust of a hand through the middle of the chest. Ends their life quickly, with little mess."

Nnoitera gave a cackle.

"You just don't want to get blood all over those luscious tits of yours. That's the reason, ain't it," the Quinta asked with a giant grin.

Halibel blushed a bit and glared at Nnoitera. The lanky Espada simply gave another cackle.

Stark sighed.

"Why do we have to spend our conversation talking about which is the best way to kill someone? Why can't we ever talk about something nice, like music or food," the lazy Espada asked.

Ulquiorra nodded.

"Yes, that is something I agree with. We need to stop speaking of such morbid things," the melancholy arrancar said.

Naruto scoffed, and said, "Oh come one, Ulquiorra. Everyone knows you have a secret bloodthirsty side. Always being so cruel to your opponents. You can sometimes be as bad as Nnoitera."

"Hey, I resent that!"

"Fuck off, you skinny bastard. We all know you're probably the most depraved one of us," Naruto said with a scowl.

Luppi sighed.

"Man, is this what Espada so on their free time? Just argue with each other and have dumb conversations? I thought it would be more interesting or exciting when we all gather together," the Sexta said in a bored tone.

Naruto squinted at Luppi.

"Hey, are you a boy or a girl? I swear to God, I've been wondering about it for hours now. Your features are so woman-like, but your voice is a bit manly," Naruto said as he scrutinized Luppi.

Said Espada grew angry.

"W-w-what! O-of course I'm a boy! How could I not be?" Luppi asked, blushing.

Naruto gave a shrug, saying, "Well, you dress very effeminately. You wear a very girlish looking outfit, you got long eyelashes, and your hair style looks like something a woman would have."

Luppi glared heatedly, saying, "Look at my body figure! I haven't got any breasts or curves!"

Nnoitera sneered, saying, "I just thought you were some flat-chested bitch who didn't deserve to be any part Espada."

Luppi turned his glare at Nnoitera, saying, "Didn't deserve to be an Espada? Why, do you think that I'm weak or something?"

Nnoitera scowled at the Sexta, saying, "Yeah, there's that, and there was also the fact that I thought you were a chick. I don't think no chick deserves to be in the higher ranks."

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"You don't think any women should be in the Espada? What about Halibel?" the blond asked.

Nnoitera sneered at Naruto.

"Yeah, you heard me! I don't care who it is, no woman should be part of an army, let alone have a higher rank than a man," Nnoitera said. Halibel glared at the Quinta, but Naruto decided to speak.

"That's a very foolish notion, Nnoitera. When I was alive, I knew many powerful women. I would have never said something like that, lest I wanted to end up with a dislocated jaw," Naruto said, amusement clearly in his voice.

Nnoitera scowled at Naruto, and said, "That just shows how weak you are. Getting your ass kicked by a woman. How fucking pathetic."

Naruto smirked, saying, "Coming from the man who got his ass demolished by me."

Nnoitera glared brightly at Naruto, recalling the events of their battle. He was about to stand up and say something, when the door opened. The ten Espada and Naruto turned to see Aizen waltzing in.

"Hello. I am here to discuss a new plan of mine. Do you recall Inoue Orihime?"

/

They were gathered. Rin, Kakashi, Obito, Jiraiya, Sarutobi, Itachi, Asuma, Sakura, Shizune, and Sasuke stood in their usual meeting place. Rin was standing in the middle of them, looking quite nervous.

"So why have we gathered here, Kakashi?" Itachi asked.

The masked Shinigami sighed.

"Naruto has combated a Shinigami again. This time, his opponent was Rin," Kakashi said as he looked over the group. The reaction was immediate. All present leaned in closer, clearly interested in what was about to be said.

Rin straightened out a bit, before speaking.

"He appeared when Hitsugaya, Matsumoto, and myself were about to fight two arrancar. He came and announced himself as El Santo Verdugo, but I recognized him from the reports. I told him that we knew who he was, and he seemed pretty annoyed. He asked if Sasuke or Jiraiya had identified him. I don't know how he knew you two were Shinigami. I told him that it was Kakashi who identified him. He seemed even more annoyed, and began asking who else were Shinigami. I gave a few names, Asuma, Sakura Sarutobi. He didn't care. He said that our past is dead and buried, and that he would fight and kill us all if he had to. I tried to reason with him, but he just brushed it aside and attacked. We fought, with him flat out toying with me. I used my shikai, but he quickly overcame that. He proceeded to beat me up pretty bad, bad enough for me to use bankai. I had the upper hand for only a short time, before he began to outclass me again. He swatted away everything I threw at him. He penetrated my defenses and wounded me. He used a weird cero that split up before coming back together as a single cero. That got me pretty bad. He cut through my swords. I tried to see why he had become so evil, but all he said is that he was evil because we perceived him to be as such. Then I got the call to release the limit. I did, but he didn't care at all. He still saw me as weak. I tried to use my Hundred technique on him, but he used another weird cero, one that looked like a tidal wave. It destroyed my attack. He then used something like shunpo, and cut my arm really bad. He punched me in the face, and it really disoriented me. I was sent flying, smashing through a forest. I tried to get to my feet afterwards. That's when Naruto scalped me."

All present looked horrified. To be scalped...it was so horrible.

Rin continued, saying, "I fell unconscious after that. He didn't know I had simply gone into a coma instead of just dying. If he had, he would have killed me. I know this for sure. He and some of the other arrancar took off, and I was left to nearly bleed to death. Luckily, Orihime and the rest of our group found me. I was healed, and now I'm here to tell the tale."

The group let the weight of the story sink in. Naruto, an arrancar, had basically killed Rin. He had brutalized the woman within an inch of her life, and didn't even know he hadn't killed her. In other words, Naruto had truly tried to kill Rin.

"So it is apparent. Naruto has chosen his side. We must now come together to defeat him." This was said by Itachi as he stopped leaning on the wall of the room.

Jiraiya looked distraught.

"How? How could he have turned into this...into this _thing_?" the Sannin asked.

Sakura actually smirked, and said, "I told you. He's nothing but bad news! He's gonna try to kill us all!"

Asuma sighed deeply.

"I hate to agree with Sakura, but she's right. We must all take Naruto as a serious threat now. Since we all knew him, it's our duty to defeat him. In all of us, there are five captain-class Shinigami. Combined, we can defeat Naruto," Asuma said as he produced a cigarette. The others nodded in slight agreement.

"You're all getting ahead of yourselves."

The group all turned their attention to Uchiha Sasuke.

The boy looked over his compatriots, before saying, "Naruto is far stronger than you all realize. He has defeated Shihoin Yoruichi, the "Flash Master." The strongest of the ryoka, Kurosaki Ichigo, also fell by Naruto's hand. Last but not least, even Rin was demolished by Naruto. The worst part is that he defeated all of them without sustaining injuries. If three Shinigami of such reputable power were defeated by him, what will four more change? He'll kill us all."

"Yes, Naruto did defeat those three. However, he fought them all one-on-one. If we were all to fight him at the same time, we could win," Itachi said to his little brother.

Rin suddenly shook her head.

"I've been thinking since our battle, and I'm afraid that Sasuke could be right. When I had to fight Naruto, it was as though I was boring him. Hitsugaya-taichou even said that arrancar have their own zanpakutō release. I believe that Naruto wasn't even going all out in his _unreleased_ form. If he were to use this 'Resurrección,' I think he could easily defeat us all. His power is just so frightening," the woman spoke.

Jiraiya gave a yell of anger.

"God dammit! What! What are we supposed to do then! He's so strong! He's a goddamn arrancar that can't be killed! What are we supposed to do then? What am _I supposed to do_! I...I can't fight him. Not ever. He was so much like Minato...so much like Kushina...I just can't fight someone like that! I left him alone those twelve years! I let him get shunned by those fucking villagers, all because I couldn't handle the past! I abandoned him, leaving him to live an empty life! Now I'm just supposed to try and _kill him!_ _Don't any of you see? S__e__e how complete and utterly fucked this is!_ Don't any of you see..."

The room grew uncomfortable at seeing Jiraiya's breakdown.

Sarutobi sighed deeply.

"I remember the first time I laid eyes upon Naruto. He was so tiny. So innocent. He was crying, a spiral apparent on his belly. He looked like the most incredible I had ever seen. Such a small creature could actually hold the being that had laid waste to my village. It was so incredible. For a moment, I had my doubt. The doubt that an infant could hold a demon. But then I remembered the last words Minato had uttered to me. "Trust me, Hiruzen. My boy will be the hero, and the villain will be defeated. Just like in all the books!" Even at the gravest of times, that man had held hope. So I had to be the same way. I held onto the hope that this boy will hold such a grave and deadly being. I watched Naruto grow. I was the one he came to when he was all alone. Sometimes, I was too busy. Sometimes my secretary would shoo him away. But when Naruto was able to come see me, I saw true happiness in him. He saw me as the one person who knew he existed in a world that decided to completely shun him. I watched him as he would fluctuate from happiness to despair. I was there the day he entered the academy. The joy that he exhibited was so potent that I just couldn't help but smile for the rest of the day. His life in the shinobi academy was hard. Parents would tell their children to stay away from Naruto. Teachers would not answer the many questions the boy had. Yet, he continued to try. He came back year after year, failing each time.

"Then came the day that Mizuki betrayed Konoha. That wretched man told Naruto about the creature he held within. It had nearly destroyed him, but once again Naruto persevered. He would not let such a thing stop him from becoming Hokage. Nothing would stop him. I was so sad the day I died. So sad that I would not see that boy reach his dream. Not see him become what he deserved. Now he has returned, this time us being the thing that is in the way of his goal. And I have no way to react. I just don't know what to do."

The room was still silent. Sarutobi's speech had gotten to all of them. This time, Sasuke was the one to step forward.

"I always thought Naruto was a loser. An untalented wash out that should have given up and just abandoned his dream to be Hokage. I have died because of such thoughts. When we died, I know now that he was the better ninja. Not because of his strength, not because of his teachings, but because of his indomitable will. He would not give up when it came to protecting the people he loved. He died protecting the people he cared about, and in all reality, I should have become a hollow instead of him. I was evil when I was alive, while Naruto was the best definition for good. He should be standing among us right now, all of us united to defeat Aizen. But that isn't the way things have turned out. He is a soldier of Aizen, and incredibly good at what he does. I only hope that he does not have any precious people among the arrancar. For if he does, his drive to win for them will far outweigh our own. He will lay waste to us all, without hesitation. He will win. He will kill every single one of us."

These words left all present very uncomfortable.

/

Naruto sighed as he laid in bed, the naked form of Cirucci Thunderwitch in his arms. She was holding onto him, savoring the warmth.

"Cirucci-chan. Would you like to marry me when this is all over?" Naruto asked out of nowhere.

The female arrancar's eyes widened, and she looked up at her lover.

"Are you serious?" Cirucci asked.

Naruto smiled and nodded.

"Yes Naruto. When this is done, I'll marry you."

Naruto pulled her into a deep hug, his lips gently pressing against hers.

Who knew "Hell" could be so heavenly.

/

Aizen sat in his throne, his head resting on his arm. Gin and Kaname were there, relaxing in the shadows.

"What exactly can I use Naruto for in the grand scale of my plan?" Aizen suddenly thought aloud.

Gin smiled, saying, "Why don't you just have him kill the old man, like you originally mentioned?"

Aizen shook his head, and said, "No, I can easily do that myself. There must be something Naruto can do to help when we are creating the key..." The room fell silent as the three ex-captains contemplated how Naruto could be of use.

Gin's hand shot up, and he said, "Oh! I have an idea! We need to eradicate a bunch of souls to create the key, right? Just have Naruto do that part!"

Aizen once again shook his head, saying, "No, Naruto would be quite displeased if he had to do something as easy as kill humans."

Kaname raised his hand, and said, "We could have him fight any intruders that invade Las Noches."

"No, that would be too boring to him. He would want to get out of here and do something interesting somewhere else," Aizen answered.

Once again, the room was quiet as the three of them thought. Suddenly, a small smile graced Aizen's lips.

"My, it would be unfortunate if someone were to attack the Seireitei when all the captains have left."

All present smirked.

/

Deep underground of Karakura Town, a battle was raging. In a large cube-like barrier, the hollowfied Kurosaki Ichigo was waiting for its next opponent. Aikawa Love began to move forward, ready to meet the creature's lust for battle, when a hand fell on his shoulder.

Love turned to the man, and the man said, "No you just stay here and relax. I'll head in."

Love raised an eyebrow, asking, "Are you sure? He looks pretty dangerous..."

The man gave a chuckle, before saying, "Come on, you know me! I'll be just fine." Love nodded, and the man stepped into the barrier. Hollowfied Ichigo seemed to chuckle. The man unsheathed his sword, spinning it on his finger. The blade had a guard in the shape of a lightning bolt. The scabbard was a navy blue, while the hilt was a golden yellow. The blade of the sword was four feet long, a good reach. The man smirked as hollowfied Ichigo dashed at him. The creature tried to plow its hand through the man's chest, but the man disappeared. A long slash appeared down the creature's chest, and it stumbled. The man rematerialized behind hollowfied Ichigo. The man smirked and pointed his sword at the beast.

"Hello there. Hope you remember this name, because it is the name of the man who will trounce you here today. My name is Namikaze Minato, the Yellow Flash, and a Vaizard!"

**END**

/

This was mostly a conversational chapter, but it brought a lot of things out in the open. Not to mention I answered the biggest question I've been getting from reviewers: Where the hell is Minato? You'll find out why Minato is a Vaizard later, but you could probably guess why. In the end, an okay chapter.


	13. XII El Hombre Que se Olvido Todo

**Antagonist**

by Kalashnikov2092

Disclaimer: DO A BARREL ROLL...and I don't own Bleach or Naruto.

Author's Musings: I got A LOT of reviews for the last chapter, and I'm thankful for the positive reactions. To answer a question I've been getting now, Kushina will later appear in this story, depending on how the real Bleach storyline goes. Also, YES Naruto will later have probably the greatest fight in this fan fic against Minato. You'll see it all, Naruto using Resurrección, Minato with bankai and hollow mask...it will be epic. It might need me to use more than one chapter, or just a really long one, to write it. Well anyways, this chapter is all about Orihime's abduction and a conversation Inoue has with our favorite blond arrancar. I won't really focus on the battles between Luppi and the Shinigami, because everyone knows how that turns out. So then, I hope you like the chap!

/

"You can be a king or a street sweeper, but everyone dances with the Grim Reaper." - Robert Alton Harris

/

XII: El Hombre Que se Olvido Todo

Naruto looked over his companions. Yammy, Ulquiorra, Luppi, Wonderweiss Margera, and Grimmjow stood before him. Grimmjow looked quite sour without his left arm.

"Alright, we all know the plan. We know that Inoue Orihime will be returning back to Earth today. So, Yammy, Grimmjow, Luppi, Margera-san, it's your jobs to keep the Shinigami stationed in Karakura busy. That way, Ulquiorra and myself can snatch up the girl without much trouble. Then, we'll give you the signal to leave. There are a few things that can go wrong with this. One is that one of you might get killed by Uruhara Kisuke or Shihoin Yoruichi. Yammy, since you are also the Zero Espada, this shouldn't happen. Luppi, on the other hand, you will have to keep an eye out for those two. If either of them show up, regroup and fight them together. Margera-san, you're just born, and have yet to get used to everything. So, just sit back and observe how we do these things. You can join the battle if you really want to, but just be careful. Finally, you Grimmjow. You better watch your fucking ass on this mission. If you endanger anyone other than yourself, I'm gonna take your other arm this time. Got it?" Naruto spoke to the blue haired ex-Espada.

The arrancar growled at Naruto, but nodded nonetheless.

Naruto nodded back, speaking, "Good. Now let's get this show on the road, you hear? I want to finish this quickly and get back to my Cirucci-chan."

/

Astonishment struck the faces of Ikkaku, Yumichika, Rangiku, and Toshiro. In the sky, a Garganta was forming. From this Garganta, four forms emerged. Immediately, the four Shinigami knew who these people were. Arrancar.

Yumichika spoke, saying, "Arrancar! There...there's no way, isn't it too soon!"

Toshiro frowned as he looked at their opponents.

"It _is _too soon. But it looks like we don't have time to figure out the reason," the young-looking captain said.

Yammy looked around, before resting his eyes on the people below him. A gigantic grin split his face, and the giant Espada said, "Oh? We came out in a pretty nice place, didn't we? Those guys have some pretty high reiatsu. This should be a good place to start off."

Luppi raised his eyebrow and leaned down to look at them. "What are you talking about? Those are Shinigami. Aren't they the "reinforcements from Soul Society" that Mr. 6 was talking about?" Luppi turned to Grimmjow inquisitively. Grimmjow was looking away, slight anger playing across his visage. "Hm? Oh, that's right. Sorry, it's the _former_ Mr. 6, isn't it?" Luppi asked mockingly.

Grimmjow glared at his replacement, saying, "The bastard I want to kill isn't in that group." After that, Grimmjow shot off into the distance, searching for his prey.

"Wha! Hey! Wait up, Grimmjow," Yammy yelled after the arrancar. He snarled, and said, "That asshole!"

Luppi sneered, and said, "Just ignore him. After all, he's just a fallen Espada. It's not like he can do anything..."

Still, Yammy glared down at the group of Shinigami below him. "Ch...the guy I wanted to kill isn't in this group, either," the giant Espada said, annoyed.

Luppi looked over to his fellow Espada, saying, "Would the guy you want to kill be the one who cut off your arm? Or the one who beat you up? Or maybe it's the one who repelled your cero?"

Yammy turned to Luppi, a sadistic smile on the giant Espada's face. "All of 'em! I want to kill all those bastards," Yammy said enthusiastically. He then turned around to look at Wonderweiss. "Hey! Let's go, new guy! How long are you gonna stand around in a daze?" Wonderweiss didn't even turn to look at Yammy. He simply stood there, making strange noises. Yammy frowned, saying, "Ch, another freak joined up..."

There was the sound of clothes blowing in the wind, and Yammy drew his blade. He quickly blocked a slash from the now Shinigami form Hitsugaya.

The captain glared up at Yammy, and said, "Hitsugaya Toshiro, Division 10 captain."

Yammy grinned down at the boy, before saying, "What a coincidence! I am a ten, too! Arrancar Diez, Yammy!"

/

"Inoue-sama! Inoue Orihime-sama! We have completed securing the walls of Waste Dimension! Please pass through", the guards cried as Orihime approached them. She gave a friendly smile, before running forward into the dimension.

"Thank you very much! I'll be back," Orihime cried as she began to run. Suddenly, three figures were next to her. It was three Shinigami, two men and Shizune. Orihime brightened exponentially at seeing the woman. "Shizune-chan," Orihime said as she looked at her friend. Orihime and Shizune had become friends after the Aizen incident. Inoue had been wondering through the Shinigami academy when she had bumped into Shizune. They had introduced themselves, before hanging out. They hit it off quickly, seeing as how both were so interested in healing.

"Hey, Inoue! Us three decided to escort you back to Earth," Shizune said with a smile. This was when Orihime noticed that Shizune was wearing the black kimono that the normal Shinigami would wear.

"Oh! Shizune-chan, you graduated! Congrats," Orihime said happily.

The older woman gave the girl a smile, and said, "Yep! Just got out last week! I got drafted to 4th Division, just like I wanted!" Orihime gave Shizune her own smile.

"What's this? Only three escorts?"

The four people stopped in their tracks. Orihime turned around to find a Garganta opening behind her.

"I see...even Soul Society is surprisingly inept. It seems they are unaware of the fact that you are at your most vulnerable when you are traveling," a voice said from the opening Garganta. The Garganta opened fully, and Orihime's eyes widened exponentially. From the portal stepped Ulquiorra Schiffer. He looked at the four of them, before saying, "The fact that you only have three escorts is a bit anticlimactic, but having those annoying walls fixed in place suits me just fine. Since rushing a conversation isn't really in my nature."

"Ulquiorra, I couldn't agree with you more."

Orihime's eyes widened even more as another figure stepped from the portal. At first, she thought it was a priest that was emerging, but when she saw the face, horror struck her. It was that arrancar that had beaten Ichigo and Yoruichi up.

Naruto smiled at the four of them. He then smiled even wider when he laid eyes upon a wide-eyed Shizune.

"Well look at this! Shizune is a Shinigami as well! How interesting," Naruto said as he looked at his former friend. However, Shizune glared at Naruto before drawing her blade. Naruto smiled even bigger, before saying, "Well now, it seems my message got through after I defeated that bitch."

Shizune smirked, and said, "Yeah, your message got through. From Rin herself. She's still alive."

This didn't seem to affect Naruto one bit.

"Oh, I knew this quite well," the blond said, and Shizune's eyes widened.

"What? What did you say?" Shizune asked.

Naruto's grin became darked, and he said, "I knew quite well that that woman was alive. In fact, it was my plan to leave her alive. And this has worked out for me quite well. I've learned quite a bit from her in this past month!"

Shizune's eyes widened even more, and she yelled, "What are you talking about! If you knew Rin was still alive, why didn't you kill her?"

Naruto smirked at his old friend, and said, "I know some pretty interesting people in Las Noches. One of them is the Octava Espada, Szayel Aporro Grantz. I approached him before I came to Karakura and fought Rin. I asked him for an interesting microorganism he has. It's a lovely little thing that enters the body and then latches itself on the optical nerve and the eardrum. From there, it reads the signals it gets from the eyes and ears, and transmits it back to Szayel or someone else who has a contraption that picks up the thing's signal. It was a coincidence that I had such a device as well. So, I watched as Rin hung out with some old friends. I already knew about Asuma, Jiraiya, Sasuke, Sakura, and the old man. However, I was quite surprised to find you, Itachi, and this Obito person in Soul Society. It was quite touching to hear Jiraiya and the old man give their heart-felt speeches about me. And it completely caught me off guard to hear Sasuke speak such remorseful things. In all, it was a very entertaining scene."

Shizune, by this time, was looking at Naruto with horror.

He smiled at her, and said, "Now then, if we are done talking with each other, I would like to have a conversation with Orihime-san."

Shizune's look of horror quickly switched to that of rage.

She pointed her blade at Naruto, and screamed, "Infect, Dokunigou(1)!" Her blade suddenly began to explode with lime green reiatsu. Naruto looked on, amused. The reiatsu faded, and Shizune's zanpakutō took shape. It was a pair of ivy green tonfa with thorns coming out of them. These thorns oozed a dark yellow liquid.

Naruto chuckled at the woman.

"It seems you wish to fight me as well. Unfortunately, I have no time to play around this time," Naruto said as his face became serious.

Shizune dashed at Naruto.

All he did was raise his hand, before saying, "Cero Cascada."

A small wave of liquid cero surged at Shizune, who had no time to react. The woman had no time to scream as the attack enveloped her, almost immediately dissolving her.

Orihime gave a terrible scream as she watched her friend die instantly, nothing left of her but a small bit of blood.

Naruto frowned and turned to the girl.

"So then, would you like to have that conversation I was talking about?" Naruto asked.

The other two Shinigami suddenly exploded in a shower of gore, being eviscerated up the middle. Once again, Orihime screamed as blood splattered onto her. Suddenly, Naruto was in front of her, his hand covering her mouth. She looked up at him, terror showing in her eyes.

"Now, now, don't scream. They all died quickly, painlessly. Well, maybe not those two men. You will no doubt heal them. Shizune, on the other hand...there is nothing left to reform. She's dead," Naruto said coldly.

Tears overflowed from Orihime's eyes.

Naruto removed his hand from the girl's mouth, and she quickly used her healing technique on the two eviscerated Shinigami.

Naruto watched her, saying, "After you are done healing those trash, you will be coming with Ulquiorra and I. Ulquiorra, do you want to explain everything to her? I'm gonna go and see how the rest are doing in Karakura."

The melancholy Espada nodded, and Naruto turned away from Orihime. He walked over to the Garganta, before turning towards Orihime.

"I'll be seeing you in Las Noches, girl," Naruto said as he smirked. He stepped into the Garganta. He was gone.

/

He was going to do it. This guy was fully prepared to blow Rukia's head clean off her body, with assistance from a point blank cero. Then something smashed into Grimmjow's arm, knocking his hand away. The cero detonated next to the group, doing no harm to any of them.

"I swear...I really don't like getting' involved in Shinigami fights," a new person said. The three of them looked up, and Ichigo's eyes widened in recognition. Hirako Shinji stood on the roof of a house, his sword slung over his shoulder. "Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter now. When you hear the sound of fighting so close by, you just can't ignore it," Shinji said disdainfully.

Ichigo looked on, eyes wide.

"Hirako," the boy uttered quietly.

Grimmjow scowled at the new comer, saying, "What's your deal, asshole? You one of their friends?"

Hirako frowned, and said, "No. What makes you think that?"

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow.

"Then why the fuck are you here?" he asked, clearly aggravated.

Shinji looked down at the ex-Espada, and said, "It really doesn't matter."

Grimmjow frowned, before saying, "Damn right. Who you are has nothing to do with killing you!" The blue haired arrancar shot forward, intent on annihilating Hirako. The Vaizard looked on, uninterested.

Grimmjow smashed into the roof where Shinji once stood, causing a burst of debris.

"Man. You need to be more careful when you fight. If you break stuff like that every time I dodge, I'm gonna get all riled up and be unable to dodge," Shinji said.

Grimmjow smiled angrily, yelling, "You think you're done dodging! Huh!" Grimmjow once again threw himself at Hirako, sword drawn.

The blond Vaizard frowned.

"You're quite the hot-head, aren't you?" Shinji asked. He brought his empty hand up to his face. Suddenly, a hollow mask formed over his face. The mask was strange looking, almost like a mummy. Grimmjow's eyes widened quite a bit as Shinji shot forward. The two of them met in a clash of swords.

Grimmjow glared at Hirako, saying, "Your mask! So you _are_ one of their allies!"

Shinji looked at Grimmjow, his eyes bored.

"Don't make me repeat myself. It does not matter who I am," Hirako said. Grimmjow's eyes widened as Shinji's reiatsu heightened. There was an explosion, and Grimmjow was sent skidding back. Grimmjow gained his footing, but was surprised at the sight before him. Shinji was standing there, energy collecting around his sword hand.

"Sorry arrancar. You seem strong, so I can't take it easy on you," Hirako said, and then fired his cero.

Grimmjow's eyes were incredibly wide as he realized what was flying at him. The attack barreled into Grimmjow, sending him flying back to Earth. He smashed into the ground painfully. He was bleeding, but not as bad as Shinji expected.

Grimmjow was on his hands and knees cursing, when Shinji said, "You minimized the damage by hitting my cero with your own. Not bad."

Grimmjow glared up at Shinji.

"Fuck you! **Grind**," Grimmjow began as he was about to use his Resurrección. However, a hand grasped Grimmjow's sword hand. The former Sexta stopped his release to see who had halted him. His eyes widened, and he said, "Na-Naruto!"

The blond arrancar looked over to Ichigo and Hirako. Naruto smirked.

"That's enough Grimmjow. Our mission has been accomplished," the blond said. Suddenly, a light shot down from the sky, enveloping the two arrancar.

"Negación," Ichigo cried out in realization.

/

Yammy's eyes widened as the Negación consumed him as well.

He frowned, saying, "Ch...mission accomplished, I guess."

Uruhara's eyes widened and he spun around. Negación was also snatching Wonderweiss and a frozen Luppi. However, Luppi soon broke from his cold prison, before sneering at Hitsugaya.

Luppi looked straight into Toshiro's eyes, before saying, "How unfortunate for you, captain-san. You didn't get to kill me. Do not forget my face! Because the next time we meet, I'll twist off that tiny head of yours, and crush it!"

They were gone.

/

Naruto and Grimmjow were near the top of the Negación. Naruto looked down at Ichigo and frowned.

"I can feel the traces of your reiatsu, Kurosaki-san," Naruto began. Ichigo looked up at Naruto, and he continued, "It seems like you've gotten yourself an extra boost of strength. It feels interesting...but is that all you can fucking show me? How laughable. It doesn't really matter now. You don't have a chance as of this moment. The sun has already set in our hands."

They were no longer there.

/

Orihime stopped dead in her tracks as she stepped through the portal. Leaning against the wall was Uzumaki Naruto, as well as another arrancar she hadn't met. The arrancar was female, with purple hair.

"Ah, hello Orihime-san. Let me be the first to introduce you to our humble abode, Las Noches," Naruto said with a smirk. Orihime eyed Naruto fearfully. Naruto looked into Orihime's eyes, and said, "What's the matter? I told you I'd see you here. Or maybe you look this way because you have yet to meet the woman standing next to me. Inoue Orihime, this is Cirucci Thunderwitch."

Cirucci sighed and gave an annoyed wave at the girl.

Naruto nodded in acceptance, before saying, "Good, good. Now then, the reason I was waiting for you here is because I'm going to have a talk with you. Give you some rules and tips for staying alive. Do you understand?" Orihime nodded, and Naruto smiled. "Very good. Okay then, rule number one: Be respectful. You'll find that most arrancar are very easy to piss off, so try to be as respectful as you can. You don't want to get on the wrong side of a group of people that could easily kill you. Do you understand?" Naruto asked once more.

He was met with another nod.

"Rule number two: Follow orders. Any orders Aizen gives you, you will follow. If you don't, Cirucci here has been assigned to rough you up to teach you a lesson. Do you understand?" Naruto asked. Orihime glanced nervously at Cirucci, before nodding. Naruto smiled, and said, "Alright, last rule. Rule number three: Don't try to escape. This one is simple. If you try to escape, you will be caught, and I will return to Earth and kill all of your friends, just like I did with Shizune. Do you understand?"

Orihime had to fight back tears at the mention of her dead friend, but nodded nonetheless.

Naruto chuckled.

"Very good, Orihime. Just follow those three rules, and your miserable life won't be as bad. Enjoy your stay in Las Noches. Cirucci-chan, would you please escort Orihime to Aizen's throne room?"

Cirucci smirked and nodded.

"Come on. I don't want to keep Aizen-sama waiting," Cirucci said as she grabbed Orihime's wrist. With a yank, the female arrancar began to lead Orihime away. However, Naruto suddenly called out.

"You should have kissed him," Naruto said out of nowhere.

Orihime's eyes widened,and she turned to Naruto.

"How did you know about that," Orihime all but whispered.

Naruto looked at her, and said, "Remember those cool little microorganisms I got from Szayel? Well, I managed to get some in your mouth when I covered it. I've been watching you and have seen what you've done before you left. It was very touching how you confessed your love to the boy. Too bad he was asleep. I think you should have kissed him when you had the chance."

Orihime glared at Naruto, and said, "Why? Why should have I kissed him?"

Naruto smiled a bit, and said, "Because. The next time the two of us meet, I'm going to kill him."

Orihime's eyes widened in fear. Naruto waved her away, and Cirucci began to lead the girl away again. Naruto began to walk down the halls.

"As she wrote in her diary, goodbye halcyon days. Goodbye, for I have killed you."

/

"Welcome to our castle of Las Noches. You are Inoue Orihime, correct?" Aizen asked the girl. Orihime looked up at him meekly.

"Yes sir..."

Aizen smiled, before saying, "Sorry to be so forward, Orihime, but would you demonstrate your power for us?" Aizen released a bit of his reiatsu, and Orihime's eyes widened. She began to shake a little bit.

"Yes...sir," Orihime said weakly.

Aizen smiled, before removing his reiatsu. He turned his attention away from Orihime, and to Luppi.

"It seems there are some who are not happy with you being brought here. Isn't that right, Luppi?" Aizen asked the Sexta.

Luppi looked away, before saying, "Of course it is. Our entire fight was just a smoke-screen designed to lure out this one girl? Who would be happy with that?"

Aizen looked down upon his subordinate.

"My deepest apologies. I did not expect you to get so severely beaten," Aizen said. Luppi frowned deeply at the comment. Aizen looked back at Inoue, before saying, "Now then. That's right. Orihime, in order to directly demonstrate your powers, I want you to heal Grimmjow's left arm."

This statement was first met with shock. Then, Luppi sneered.

"Ridiculous! That just isn't possible, Aizen-sama! Grimmjow! His arm was reduced to ash by overseer Tousen. How can you heal something that has been erased? She is not a god!" Luppi cried out.

Orihime brought her hands up to the stump of Grimmjow's left arm, before saying, "Sōten Kisshun. I reject." Her hairpins flew forward, creating the half oval barrier. This just angered Luppi even further.

"Hey! Are you even listening, girl? If this is some show to save your ass, you'd better knock it off! If you can't do it, I'm gonna kill you! If that power of yours is fake, then there'll be no reason...to...keep you...alive," Luppi said, his words dying in his throat.

Grimmjow's arm had been returned.

Luppi's eyes became incredibly wide, and he asked, "What?"

Grimmjow didn't even believe it. His arm was back!

"How did...How did she restore it! I've never heard of anything at that level! How did you do it, woman?" Luppi cried.

Aizen smiled, and said, "Ulquiorra, you saw this as "temporal regression" or "spatial regression." Is this correct?"

The Cuarta nodded, and said, "Yes sir."

Luppi looked at Ulquiorra, wide eyed.

"No way...no human could possess such an ability! It can't be," Luppi said.

Aizen looked on, and said, "Correct. However, this is neither of those. "The Rejection of Events." That is what this is."

Luppi's eyes widened even further in amazement.

Aizen continued, saying, "Her ability is to limit, reject, and negate any kind of event that has happened to her target. It is an ability that can return a target to a former state no matter what has happened to them. That is even greater than 'temporal regression' or 'spatial regression.' It easily tramples upon the horizon of events that God has decided. It is a power that trespasses into God's territory."

Luppi looked on in horrible wonder. Grimmjow had a frown. He turned to Orihime.

"Hey girl. Fix up one more spot," Grimmjow said as he pointed to his back. Orihime went behind him and began to restore a scar over the right side of his lower back. Luppi's eyes widened as she realized what Grimmjow was doing. The scar on the arrancar's back began to recede. When everything was patched up, a black number six stood predominately on his back.

Luppi glared at Grimmjow, saying, "What are you planning, Grimmjow?"

The blue haired arrancar turned to Luppi, a sadistic smile on his face. Suddenly, Grimmjow was there, his hand sticking out of Luppi's back. Luppi's eyes were wide as blood exploded from the wound.

"Grimmjow...you son of a bitch," Luppi said even as he was choking on his own blood.

Grimmjow smirked, and said, "That's how it goes. Goodbye, **Former Mister Six**!"

Grimmjow fired his cero point blank in Luppi's face.

He died instantly.

/

Naruto watched the whole thing through Orihime's eyes. He scowled.

"Goodbye halcyon days indeed."

**END**

/

(1)- Dokunigou: Poison Concubine. A zanpakutō in the shape of two thorned tonfa that excrete a potent poison.

The title means "The Man That Forgot All."


	14. XIII Coversing With A Diablo

**Antagonist**

by Kalashnikov 2092

Disclaimer: I really don't own Naruto or Bleach.

Author's Musings: Well, I have returned to post the new chapter. This time will focus mostly on Naruto's dealings in Las Noches. There will also be the reaction of the old Konoha shinobi to how Naruto killed Shizune. Enjoy.

/

"As flies to wanton boys, are we to the gods; they kill us for their sport." - William Shakespeare

/

XIII: Conversing With A Diablo

"Well then. It seems there is nothing more I can teach you, Naruto-san," Gin said. The silver haired man sheathed his blade and looked at his apprentice. Naruto had progressed to incredible lengths over the course of the training. Gin could truthfully say that Naruto now evenly matched him in sword skills. Aizen would be pleased...

Naruto rubbed the back of his head.

"Really? Wow, I didn't know I was that good yet. So...what do I do now?" Naruto asked.

Gin gave Naruto his forever smile, before saying, "You just go and relax. Possibly hang out with the other Espada. Too bad that Luppi is dead. I did enjoy speaking with him."

Naruto sneered.

"Yeah, he might have been weaker, but he was a lot more tolerable than Grimmjow," Naruto said.

Gin chuckled, saying, "Yes, I could see you did not like Grimmjow after you literally ripped his arm off. Though, I have to admit, it was quite amusing."

Naruto grinned and nodded to his now former sensei.

"Alright. I'll see you later, Gin-san. I'm gonna go see if I can scrounge me up some entertainment," Naruto said as he began to walk away.

Gin smiled and nodded to Naruto, saying, "Goodbye, Naruto-san."

The two parted ways.

/

This was a funeral.

A funeral for Shizune.

All the old shinobi stood around her memorial. There wasn't a burial, seeing as how there wasn't a body. Rin had just recently gotten there. After the two other escorts of Inoue Orihime gave their testimony about the incident, Rin was taken down to 12th Division to rid her body of the spy microorganisms. Rin had been shaken by the news. To find out that Naruto had spared her willingly, just so he could spy in on his former comrades. It was very disheartening.

"So, it is official. Naruto has killed one of us," Obito said grimly.

Sasuke sighed. "Indeed. He has shown his intentions once and for all. We mean nothing to him. He's willing to murder us all."

Itachi nodded, saying, "Naruto is now our top priority. Since we know him the best, we are the ones that will have to kill him."

The group became uncomfortable. So it had been said. Naruto would have to die. This was a harsh reality to some, like Jiraiya and Kakashi.

Sarutobi grimaced at the thought.

"Killing him will not be easy. Not by a long shot. The two other escorts reported that Naruto killed Shizune with a single attack, even when Shizune had used her shikai. This is most troubling. While she may have been fresh out of the academy, her skill was easily that of a seated officer. If Naruto killed her in one stroke, then it is only safe for those of us that are at the strength of a captain to fight him. Any lower would be suicide," Sarutobi said darkly.

Obito frowned, saying, "I'll fight him. I'm easily captain class, and I've been around longer than he has. I've been around a few times, and I have a good number of tricks up my sleeve. Not to mention my shikai and bankai are quite powerful. I'm pretty sure I can handle him."

Kakashi shook his head and said, "Obito, just because your shikai and bankai are powerful, that does not mean you are as strong as him. Rin has already said that Naruto has held back in all of his battles, not to mention he has not shown his Resurrección. We don't even know what number he is in the Espada, if he is even _in _the Espada."

Itachi raised an eyebrow.

"Do you think he could have a rank other than Espada? Something even higher?" the prodigy asked.

Kakashi nodded at the question, saying, "With Naruto, anything is possible. He did some amazing things when he was alive. He mastered the Rasengan in a week. He was able to defeat Pein.

He combined the wind element with the Rasengan, something even the Yondaime could not do. Being stronger than the Espada would just be another incredible thing he has been able to accomplish. For Naruto, achieving almost impossible things is normal for him. That's what makes him so dangerous."

Jiraiya gave a sad sigh.

"This is what it all comes down to. We're going to have to fight him. I can't even deny this now. Naruto is clearly an agent of Aizen. He will carry out Aizen's goals, no matter what. The only way to stop Naruto is to kill Naruto. We will have to do this together. At his present power, fighting him one at a time would be stupid. Sarutobi, Itachi, Obito, and myself will have to team up to defeat Naruto. That is how we will win," Jiraiya said quietly.

Rin raised an eyebrow, asking, "What about me? I'm captain-class as well! You could use my help!"

Itachi shook his head.

"No, that would be unwise. He has already fought you and defeated you. He knows how to fight you. He would single you out, causing us to have to defend you constantly. You will only hinder us," Itachi said evenly.

Rin looked down in shame.

Obito glared at his relative, before shouting, "Hey, what's your problem? If anyone is qualified to fight Uzumaki, it's Rin! Since the two have already done battle, she knows his attacks. We could use her coordination to fight Naruto. She could warn us of any special attacks he would be using. She could tell us how to fight him!"

Once again, Itachi shook his head.

"No, that will not work. You say that Rin knows Uzumaki's attacks, but this is not true. She warned us of only four special attacks: the two cero attacks, bala, and his version of shunpo. Other than that, Naruto has basically shown nothing. However, Rin, on the other hand, has shown most of her attacks to Naruto. He would know what to expect if he was to face her once more. I'm sorry, but Rin is useless in a fight against Naruto," Itachi spoke.

Obito glared heatedly at Itachi. He was about to say something in retaliation, but Rin stopped him.

"No...as much as I hate to admit it, Itachi-san is correct. He was able to easily defeat me when I was at full strength. At the same time, he showed very little of his abilities. I have no idea what he's capable of, but he has seen almost all that I can offer," Rin said quietly.

Obito clenched his fists tightly.

"Then what the fuck are we supposed to do! We have five captain-class officers among us, but we can only use four? How are we supposed to stop this guy? If he really is as powerful as everyone thinks he is, then how do we stop him? That's all I want to know," Obito whispered at the end.

Sarutobi closed his eyes and sighed.

"We can only hope, Obito. That is what had gotten us this far...hope."

/

Naruto had been walking through the halls of Las Noches for quite some time now. However, he had found something that piqued his interest. It was Ulquiorra, walking from Orihime's chamber. Naruto raised his hand in greetings.

"Hey Ulquiorra! How you been doing?" Naruto asked.

The melancholy Espada turned to his comrade.

"I have been just fine, Uzumaki Naruto. What are you doing here," Ulquiorra asked back.

Naruto shrugged and said, "Well, I've just been roaming around the halls, you know? I just completed my training with Gin and-"

"You've mastered the sword," Ulquiorra interrupted.

Naruto smirked and nodded.

"Yeah, I believe he said, 'There is nothing more I can teach you, Naruto-san.' That made me pretty happy. Once again, all my hard work has paid off," Naruto exclaimed.

Ulquiorra nodded once more.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, asking, "So what were you doing in the woman's room?"

Ulquiorra looked at his fellow arrancar, before saying, "I was simply giving the girl her dinner. Humans have to eat."

Naruto gave a bark of laughter.

"Yes, that is true. So, can I go in and say hi?"

Ulquiorra frowned.

"I thought you and Thunderwitch were together," Ulquiorra asked.

Naruto waved his hands in defense, yelling, "No! No, that isn't it at all. I love Cirucci! I ain't going behind her back! I just want to talk the girl, that's all! It has to be boring just sitting around in an empty room all day."

Ulquiorra sighed.

"Fine, you can go see her. Just don't do too much damage to her psyche. We need her sane if we wish to use her abilities," Ulquiorra said.

Naruto chuckled and nodded to his friend.

"Don't worry Ulquiorra. I'm just going in to make some conversation," the blond said as he walked past the Espada. He continued down the hall, reaching the door to Orihime's room. With a quick expulsion of reiatsu from the tips of his fingers, he unlocked the door.

Immediately, Inoue Orihime turned from her meal to see who it was. Her eyes widened in horror upon seeing Naruto standing in the doorway.

"Hello, Orihime-san," Naruto said with a wave. Orihime had already begun to back away from him. Naruto frowned.

"Now, now, Orihime-san. I am not here to do you any harm. I'm here to just talk," Naruto said as he walked into the room. It was a very bland and empty room. All that decorated the chamber was a table and some chairs, along with a bed in the corner.

Orihime hesitated for a moment.

"What...what do you want?" Orihime asked fearfully.

Naruto sighed.

"I already told you. I'm just here to talk. I was walking around, having nothing better to do, when I saw Ulquiorra leaving your room. So I thought, hey, what the hell? How about I just go talk with Orihime-san? It's better than just wondering around by my lonesome."

By this time, Naruto had walked in even further, stopping at Orihime's table. He looked over the food. It was a simple meal, just some chicken and rice. He frowned.

"Jeez, even if you're a prisoner, you still deserve a meal that isn't boring. I can ask to have you served something more flavorful, if you like. Possibly your favorite meal, if you wish. How about it?" Naruto asked with a smile.

Orihime, on the other hand, was frowning deeply.

She narrowed her eyes in distrust, asking, "Why are you being so nice to me?"

Not even hesitating, Naruto stated, "Because you are of use to Aizen."

She glared at Naruto, saying, "That's it? Just because I'm of use to Aizen? What about before, when you ordered that big man to kill me? Why aren't you still wanting to kill me?"

Naruto sat down in a chair.

"Orihime-san, the only reason I ordered your death a while back is because I found you annoying. You and your tall friend were getting in the way of our search for Kurosaki. If there is one thing you need to learn about me, it's the fact that when humans annoy me, I kill them. However, now I don't find you annoying. Your powers have intrigued me, as well as Aizen. You gained Aizen's attention because of the fact that you could use your powers to help the Hōgyoku restore faster. I, on the other hand, was interested in such a power because of the scale of its restoration. First, you patched up your friend's arm. Then you went on to restore Grimmjow, even after his arm had been incinerated. At first, I was intrigued by your powers. Now I am intrigued with how much you were willing to give for your friends. You left them all behind, in hopes that doing so would save their lives.

"This is very admirable, but alas, it is in vain. If your friends think of you the way you think of them, they are bound to come here. Especially that Kurosaki. The anger I saw in his eyes at seeing your tall friend hurt was quite immense. He'll come here, alright. Yes indeed. Probably with the aid of Uruhara Kisuke. Kurosaki will come, along with a few other of your friends. Probably the tall guy and the Quincy."

Orihime's eyes widened in shock.

"H-how do you know about Uryu," she whispered.

Naruto smiled, saying, "Ishida Uryu? You forget that Aizen was in Soul Society when you were trying to rescue Kuchiki Rukia. He kept tabs on all of you. Aizen was impressed that the Quincy was capable of defeating Kurotsuchi Mayuri. He told me about all of you. Now back to the original conversation. As I was saying, Kurosaki, the Quincy, and the tall one, known as Yasutora Sado, are the prime candidates to come to your aid. As I also said before, the notion of leaving them to protect them was in vain. If they come here, they will have to defeat impossibly strong opponents. The strongest of them, that Kurosaki, could maybe defeat Grimmjow with that hollow mask power of his. And that's a pretty big maybe. I might hate Grimmjow's guts, but that doesn't change the fact that he is the Sexta Espada. If that boy was to fight anyone over six, he will probably die. Anyone over four, guaranteed death. If he faces me, instantaneous death."

By this time, Orihime was glaring fully at Naruto.

"Why! Why are you telling me this," Orihime asked.

Naruto looked into her angry eyes, and said, "I'm telling you this because you will be a factor in their deaths."

Orihime's eyes widened.

"You said you came with us to save your friends. However, if you know your friends well enough, then you would know they would come and try to rescue you. And when they tried to do this, they would still die. I simply want to know if you came with us to save your friends, or just to prolong their lives. Or maybe, you had so little faith in them. So little faith in their strength. I mean, you're right, but still, I'd be pretty bummed if I was Kurosaki. Knowing that one of my closest friends thinks I'm weak."

Orihime's glare returned full force.

"Kurosaki is not weak. He is the strongest person I know," the girl said. Naruto looked at her with a smile.

"Strongest person you know? I doubt that. If I'm correct, you know Aizen, even if it's just a little bit. He is easily the strongest person you know. Strongest I know, that's for sure," Naruto said, his voice carrying a mocking undertone.

Orihime's glare did not falter as she said, "No. That's not the kind of strength I am talking about. The strength I speak of is the strength of will. Nobody can surpass Ichigo in that strength."

Naruto chuckled as he looked into Orihime's eyes.

"Very well then. I'm done teasing you. Come on, come over here and sit down. You never answered my question about the food," Naruto said as he sat up in his chair.

However, Orihime did not move. The blond sighed.

"Alright. I'm just saying, it's a lot more comfortable to sit down in a chair than to stand up," Naruto said. Orihime stood there a second, before moving forward towards her chair. Naruto smiled brightly, saying, "Ah, that's a girl. Now then, anything you want to ask me?"

Orihime sat down in her chair nervously. She looked at Naruto.

"How...how did you know Shizune?"

Naruto closed his eyes.

"I knew Shizune when I was alive. She was the apprentice to the woman I thought of as my mother. Shizune was kind to me. I almost could call her an older sister. She always treated me with respect and kindness. And I killed her."

Orihime looked away from the blond.

"If Shizune was almost like a sister to you, how could you have killed her so heartlessly?" Orihime whispered.

Naruto shrugged, saying, "Hey, at least I killed her quick and painlessly. I think that's pretty compassionate."

Orihime once again glared at the arrancar before her.

"What you did was terrible. You killed a woman that was like family to you! And now you just joke about it? What is wrong with you?" Orihime asked angrily.

"There's nothing wrong with me. I'm a hollow and she was a Shinigami. That's simply the way things go. Shinigami and hollows have been killing each other for a very long time, Orihime. We were just another instance of this eternal struggle. So you can just ask me another question. This matter is done."

Orihime clenched her fists, but still asked, "Which one of the Espada are you?"

Naruto smiled widely. "Who ever said I was an Espada?"

Orihime's eyes widened a bit.

"You're not an Espada? Then...then what exactly are you?" the girl asked.

Naruto stood up, unbuttoning his cassock as he did so. Immediately, Orihime went on the defensive, thinking the worst. Naruto raised his hand for her to stop.

"Don't worry, nothing bad is gonna happen. I just need to show you my tattoo," Naruto said.

Orihime relaxed a bit, and Naruto removed his jacket. He wore no other shirt beneath it, and Orihime blushed a tiny bit at the boy's muscles. He turned around, revealing the tattoo on his back. It was located on the small of his back. It was done in only black ink, and was a design of a skull with a katana pierced through the top and coming out of the bottom.

"My rank is greater than that of an Espada. I have been given the title of El Santo Verdugo, the Saint Executioner. This title was bestowed upon me by Aizen himself. I take great pride in my rank," Naruto said as he turned back around. He slipped his arms back into the sleeves of his cassock, before starting to button the garment back up.

Orihime looked upon him with fear. This man...was even greater than the Espada? Was that even possible?

The blond arrancar took his seat once more, looking straight at Orihime.

"Alright. Ask me something else," Naruto said as he began to lean in his chair.

Orihime gulped, before saying, "Why did you become a hollow?"

Naruto's eyebrows raised at the question.

"Well, that is a very..._interesting_ story. I guess I could tell you it. You see, when I was alive, I was a ninja. We were basically assassins, sent to turn the tides in wars and help anyone who could fork up the necessary money. In life, I made many enemies, mostly in part of what I contained. You see, the day that I was born, a demon attacked my village. It was a giant fox with nine tails, the strongest demon in the land. This demon was far too powerful to be killed by normal means. So, my father, who was the leader of my village at the time, used a forbidden technique to seal said fox demon into me. It cost him his life, and in a way, it later cost me my own.

"As I grew up, I was shunned by the villagers, for they thought that I was the fox. This was a foolish notion, and it cost me my childhood. When I became a ninja at the age of twelve, I was immediately put in situations that could have killed me. One of my enemies was a group of rogue ninja that went by the name of Akatsuki. They were hunting tailed demons in hopes to rule the world, or bring it peace, depending on who you talked to. They were one of my most despised enemies. My other main enemy later joined Akatsuki. You might have met him in Soul Society: Uchiha Sasuke."

Orihime's eyes lit up in recognition. Naruto nodded to her and continued.

"You see, he was hell bent on killing his older brother, Itachi. Itachi had murdered their entire family, with the exception of Sasuke. Sasuke despised his older brother, and swore to get revenge for his clan. He eventually gained that revenge, but found out the terrible truth behind his family's massacre. The Uchiha were planning a coupe to overthrow the rulers of Konoha. Itachi had been hired by these rulers to go and stop his clan. By killing every last one of them. He didn't kill Sasuke, threatening to tell the truth about the massacre if Sasuke didn't live. So, Sasuke lived.

"When Sasuke found out about the truth of his family's murder, he then swore revenge upon Konoha. He, along with the rest Akatsuki, attacked my village. I killed them all, including Sasuke, but he still killed me in the end. Then, I became a Plus. While just waiting around, I saw the girl I cared for the most, Haruno Sakura, spit at my corpse. So, I got pissed and became a hollow. Happy?"

Naruto was upset. He hated thinking about how shitty his life was in retrospect. Orihime could see it on his face.

Then it was gone.

"So, there you have it. That's how I became the man I am today. Didn't turn out too bad, did I?"

Orihime didn't answer.

Naruto chuckled and rose from his seat.

"Well then, I'm gonna head out then. Have a good stay, Orihime-san," the blond stated as he began to walk towards the door. However, he stopped at the doorway. He didn't turn around.

"You said that Kurosaki has the strongest will out of anyone you know. I'm afraid to say that you're wrong again. You know me."

The door closed.

/

Stark sighed deeply as he stretched. Something had scared Lilinette, and her scream had woken him. He looked up to see his Fracción running to him, a frightened look on her face.

"Aw, come on! I can't be _that_ scary!"

Naruto walked into the room, an annoyed look on his face. Stark smiled almost immediately.

"Hey Naruto. What are you doing here?" the lazy Primera asked.

Naruto grinned at him and said, "Me? I'm just looking for a spar. I'm bored!"

Stark sweat dropped. A spar with Naruto was hazardous to your health.

"No, I think I'll pass on that one. I still enjoy being able to walk."

Naruto gave a laugh.

"Whatever, that's fine. I'll go ask maybe Barragan or Nnoitera. I know that that lanky bastard is just itching for a rematch," Naruto said with a grin. Stark found himself smiling as well. Naruto looked at Lilinette, who was hiding behind the Primera. As their eyes met, Lilinette quickly hid her face. Naruto sighed.

"Why is she so scared of me? From what I know, we haven't even talked all that much," Naruto asked.

Stark looked at his Fracción before saying, "Yeah...apparently, she happened by the scene of you ripping off Grimmjow's arm. I heard it was a brutal sight."

Naruto chuckled sheepishly, saying, "Yeah, I suppose it would have been pretty scary to see me pulling off someone's arm as though I was plucking the wing off of a fly."

Stark nodded before turning to Lilinette. The girl looked up at him with worry.

"Lilinette, I understand that what you saw Naruto do was frightening, but it was necessary. Grimmjow was out of control with his blood lust, so Naruto had to teach him a lesson. Give Grimmjow a taste of his own medicine, if you will. Other than that, Naruto is a very nice person, albeit a little serious about fighting. Why don't you give him a chance," Stark spoke. The small girl looked a bit hesitant, but stepped forward. She looked up at Naruto. The blond was smiling at her, but she just couldn't get that image out of her head. Naruto, his teeth latched onto Grimmjow's neck as he pulled and pulled and pulled until Grimmjow's arm was torn off.

Lilinette closed her eyes and turned away. She heard a sigh from Stark, before feeling a hand on the top of her head. She opened her eyes to find Naruto standing next to her, ruffling her green hair. He grinned down at her.

"Hey, it's okay. Truthfully, I can be a pretty scary guy. I understand if you find me a bit off putting. A kid like you ain't used to seeing that kind of violence," Naruto said kindly. Lilinette looked up to him for a moment. Then, a tic appeared on her forehead.

"Who you calling a kid? I'm ten times older than you," Lilinette yelled. The young looking Fracción lashed out with a kick to Naruto's shin. However, she regretted it immediately. Pain shot up her toes and then up her leg. It felt like kicking a hunk of steel.

Naruto chuckled at the scene, saying, "Oh! Sorry, that's my hierro. It's quite strong, so it's no wonder that you're in pain right now." Lilinette glared at the blond. Said blond turned to Stark.

"Okay then, I'm gonna go see if I can find anything fun. With all that training with Gin, I forgot how boring Las Noches could be. I'll see you around Stark."

Naruto walked towards the door, waving back to Stark and Lilinette. The Fracción stuck her tongue out at the blond, while Stark sighed. It seemed that Lilinette could change her views of someone quite quickly...

/

Hirako Shinji was frowning deeper than he had ever frowned in his life. Uruhara had just informed him of some very interesting information.

Namikaze would not be happy about this...

/

Naruto's ears picked up the undeniable sound of metal clashing against metal. He smiled. He recognized where he was immediately: he was in the part of Las Noches where Halibel and her Fracción trained. Naruto rounded the corner to emerge in a large courtyard. He saw that two of Halibel's Fracción were having a spar. It was the two hot-heads of the group, Apache and Mila-Rose. Halibel and her third (and much more calm) Fracción, Sun-Sun were off to the side, watching the mock battle.

Halibel looked up as she picked up his reiatsu signature. Sun-Sun also looked at Naruto. He waved to the two, but did not say anything. He was observing the spar as well. This was a short-lived sight as Apache and Mila-Rose also noticed Naruto, stopping their battle. Mila-Rose grinned immediately, giving a wave to her superior. Naruto chuckled and returned it.

"So, Naruto! What brings you here? Hoping to catch a glimpse of my body?" Mila-Rose asked with a smirk.

Naruto chuckled and shook his head.

"Sorry Mila, but I'm already taken. Why don't you try for somebody else? I heard that Ulquiorra's single! He'd be a good balance to your rambunctious attitude," Naruto said with a grin. Mila-Rose scoffed.

"Sorry, Ulquiorra may be strong, but he's completely without passion. He's just always so cold. You, on the other hand, are very..._warm._ You'd make a fine catch," Mila-Rose said as seductively as possible. Naruto gave a bark of laughter.

"As I said before, Mila, I'm taken. Cirucci is the only girl I got eyes for," Naruto said. Mila-Rose pouted.

"Why must all the good ones always be taken?" she whispered ruefully.

Halibel walked forward, along with Sun-Sun.

"Naruto. Why are you here?" the Tercera asked with a raised eyebrow.

Naruto shrugged.

"I was just taking a stroll when I heard your subordinates sparring. Having nothing better to do, I decided to just check it out."

Halibel nodded at the admittance. She then turned to Sun-Sun.

"Sun-Sun. I believe it's your turn to spar with Apache," the tanned arrancar spoke. The two Fracción nodded to their commander, before stepping into the middle of the courtyard. However, just then, there was a flare of reiatsu from very far away. The three Fracción looked up at their superiors. Halibel had her eyes closed as she searched for the source of the foreign reiatsu. Naruto, on the other hand, was smiling a small bit. He looked off in a random direction.

"So you have come, Kurosaki Ichigo. Good. It seems everything is coming to a head."

/

Minato stared at his friend in disbelief.

"Wait, wait, wait! You mean to tell me that Uzumaki Naruto, my _son_, is the arrancar that defeated Yoruichi! No, scratch that, you mean to tell me that my son is working for Aizen! What the fuck, Shinji! Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" Minato asked irately.

Hirako held his hands up in front of himself in defense, saying, "Hey! I just got the info today. Uruhara stopped by to tell me about him. You were the first person I came to."

Minato gave out a frustrated cry. Aizen, the man who had single handedly ruined Minato's Shinigami career overnight, was now in control of his son. His son, who was an arrancar, had already defeated many opponents. First it was Kurosaki, then Yoruichi, then his old student Rin, before finally killing Shizune.

"What are you going to do, Minato?" Shinji asked.

Minato clenched his fists.

"As much as it pains me to say it, Naruto has chosen his side. From what you've told me, he had ordered the death of humans, teamed up with Espada, and even killed a Shinigami. Naruto...he is under Aizen's rule. I will have to fight him," Minato said softly.

Shinji looked at his comrade and said, "I'm sorry, Minato. If I could change this, I would."

Minato turned away from his friend. Although he had said he'd fight Naruto, Minato wasn't a hundred percent sure if he could, in actuality. Naruto was his son, a son that he had never gotten to raise or speak to. A son that he had put such a huge burden on from the moment he was born. This was...almost too big.

Minato cursed.

"This is so goddamn unfair! My son, who I never saw except for when he was a baby. My son, who I never got to raise with my wife. My son has died. However, instead of relishing the afterlife with his father, he has been pitted against me by that bastard Aizen! Why can't I have happiness? Why can't I be on good terms with my own son! Aizen takes away my life as a Shinigami, and now he takes away Naruto! Why is this so messed up?" Minato screamed.

Shinji looked on with pity.

"I don't know, Minato. I really don't."

Minato glared up to the sky, saying, "I'll get Aizen for this. I'll get him for all that he's done. He got rid of me because he was scared of me. Scared of the power that I held.

"He was able to get rid of me from Soul Society, but thankfully not Kushina. She's still alive, and she will stop him if I can't."

**END**

/

Well, this was another okay chapter. The next will have Ichigo and company fighting the Privaron Espada. If you are wondering, NO, Uryu will not be fighting Cirucci. There will be two new Privaron, both of which you'll find interesting. Also, another member of Ichigo's group will be new. See you next time.


	15. XIV bLaDeS oF fAiLuRe

**Antagonist**

by Kalashnikov2092

Disclaimer: Naruto and Bleach. Don't own them.

Author's Musings: Well, here I am again. Sorry for the wait, but the new chapter is here. It has taken me so long because my 360 had red-ringed back in January, and I got it back two days after I posted the last chap. So I've been playing my 360 with an all-new copy of CoD: WaW. In other words, I've been playing video games more than writing this fic.

So yeah, I'm back. Finally, after a kind long absence, there will be some fighting now. These battles may span over a few chapters, and yes, Naruto will be involved in one of them. Against who, you'll just need to read on. The fights involving the Privaron Espada will be pretty good too. A lot of people will probably be happy with who these former Espada are. Alright, I hope you all have a good time reading.

/

"Civilize the mind but make savage the body." - Chairman Mao

"He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not, will be victorious." - Sun Tzu

/

XIV: bLaDeS oF fAiLuRe

"Rukia! Renji! And...wait a minute...I remember you, but I just can't seems to recall your name. Sorry," Ichigo said as he looked at his former Shinigami companions. The third one of them gave a chuckle, before snuffing out his cigarette.

"Me? I'm Sarutobi Asuma."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you here?" the boy asked.

Once again, Asuma gave a chuckle.

"You see, I was just wondering around when I heard these two talking about trying to head into Hueco Mundo to save your friend. Knowing there was no way to dissuade them, and seeing that Rukia is one of my subordinates, I simply decided to tag along. Things have already started to get interesting," the former jounin said. Ichigo shrugged in acceptance. He hopped off the back of Bawabawa to approach his comrades.

/

"More flies have arrived in Hueco Mundo. They are fast approaching Las Noches," Halibel said.

Naruto smiled at the Tercera.

He rolled his shoulders, saying, "Ah, yes. Two of them I recognize from my little crusade with Grimmjow. If the reports are correct, two of them go by the name of Kuchiki Rukia and Abarai Renji. The third one, I have no idea who it is. His reiatsu is impressive, even more so than that of Abarai's. However, he is not yet captain material. He has drawn my interest. Perhaps I'll go see who this third Shinigami is."

Halibel raised an eyebrow.

"Do you think that Aizen-sama would approve?" the woman asked.

Naruto nodded, saying, "It doesn't really matter to him. He probably finds this whole thing amusing, seeing how it's playing out exactly how he predicted. So yeah, I think he would approve."

The Tercera shrugged. "Go ahead then. I certainly can't stop you."

Naruto nodded to his comrade and disappeared with sonido.

/

Ichigo glared up into the rafters.

"Come out," Ichigo said evenly. There was a soft ruffle of clothing from above. However, nobody appeared.

Ichigo growled, and screamed, "Whoever is hiding up there, I told you to come out!"

A throaty chuckle sounded from above.

"My, aren't you an easy one to piss off."

Suddenly, a figure leaped down from above. He landed softly about ten yards from Ichigo. Ichigo's eyes widened slightly at the arrancar's height. Ichigo himself was about five foot nine inches, but this guy was at least six feet tall. He had short, spiky black hair with a cloth tied around his forehead. His mask remnant was like a mask that only covered the bottom of his face, like a breather. Across the arrancar's back was a huge sword, much like Ichigo's old zanpakutō, only it was completely straight with no guard. The arrancar wore no shirt only the strap that held his blade. This showed off his hollow hole, located in the middle of his stomach. He did wear white pants and black boots, as well as white plated forearm guards. The arrancar gave a chuckle.

"So, you're one of the Shinigami that decided to step into our territory," the imposing arrancar said as he began to reach for his sword. Ichigo's eyes narrowed and he also went for his own blade.

The arrancar's hand rested on the hilt of his blade, and he said, "Alright then. I'm the Number 104 Arrancar, Momochi Zabuza!"

/

Uryu raised an eyebrow at the room before him. It was a dome like room, with a gigantic pool of water in the middle. However, the waters were shifting, even though there was no wind in the room.

"So. It seems you have wandered into my sanctuary. This is very unfortunate."

Uryu barely dodged a swing of a sword that was supposed to decapitate him. He flipped backwards, his bow ready to fire. He pointed it at his opponent, an effeminate looking arrancar with long black hair. This arrancar's mask remnant was a piece of plating that rested above his left eyebrow. The plating was white, with a green X in the middle. The arrancar wore a long sleeved white sweater, as well as a pair of white pants and wooden sandals. The arrancar wielded a sword with a snowflake shaped guard. The sword itself was not very long, maybe a kodachi.

Uryu fired three shots at his opponent, who in turn swung his sword. As the arrancar swung, needles of green reiatsu flew forward, meeting Uryu's arrows. The two attacks collided, causing small explosions. Uryu had to roll out of the way of another volley of reiatsu needles. As he got back to his feet, his opponent was looking at him coldly.

"You are quick on your feet. You will need such abilities if you wish to defeat me. For I am Arrancar Number 101, Haku."

/

Ichigo cried out as a swing from Zabuza sent him smashing into a wall. The Privaron Espada laughed heartily.

"By god, kid! You're absolutely pathetic! You have the prediction instincts of an infant," Zabuza cried as he pointed his blade at the young Shinigami. Said red-head cursed to himself as he pulled himself out of the wall. Ichigo glared heatedly at his arrancar opponent, before dashing forward. Zabuza gave a bark of laughter as he launched himself at the Shinigami.

Ichigo struck out with a heavy slash of his giant butcher's knife. Zabuza spun away from the chop and lashed out with a diagonal strike. Ichigo hopped backwards, effectively dodging the attack. However, Ichigo had to defend again as his opponent went for a kick. The Shinigami blocked with the flat of his blade, a very wrong move. Redirecting his kick, Zabuza's foot landed upon the upper edge of Zangetsu. He then moved forward, soon standing on top of Ichigo's weapon. The boy had no time to react as another kick smashed into his jaw. The red-head was sent rocketing backwards, right into the corner of the room.

He recovered quickly, however, nursing his jaw as he stood up. Zabuza gave a mad cackle.

"Look at you, kid! You have yet to even place a scratch on me! How do you expect to win against me that way?" the Privaron Espada yelled happily. His opponent glared at him once more, and a smirk graced Zabuza's features. He raised a finger.

"Ah! I know one way you can make this more interesting! Use your bankai. Believe me, it's the only way you can hope to win," the ex-shinobi stated coldly.

Ichigo's eyes narrowed.

"No."

Zabuza shook his head as he chuckled. "No? Well, why not? From the looks of you, you're gonna need the help," the arrancar stated. Ichigo smirked, causing Zabuza to raise an eyebrow.

Ichigo pointed his sword at his opponent and said, "You told me that you were a 'fallen Espada.' That means you're not a real Espada. I came here to beat all of those guys, so I can't be going around wasting my bankai on a small fry like you."

Zabuza looked at Ichigo, annoyance showing in his eyes.

"How stupid. Can't waist your bankai on me because you're saving it for those ten? Don't be naïve. If I were you, I'd use my bankai. Because I may be the verylast opponent that your bankai might be effective on."

Ichigo glared at the taller man.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

Zabuza seemed to sneer under his mask, saying, "It means that a fuckin' gaki like you ain't shit compared to the Espada. Not to mention that monster Naruto. Face it, kid. Use your bankai now, because it might be the last time you can call it powerful."

Ichigo clenched his fists when Naruto's name was stated. The memories of his brutal defeat at the hands of that Uzumaki was still fresh in his mind. Ichigo looked at Zabuza before readying his blade. Zabuza snorted.

"It seems you weren't listening. Fine, you little shit. I guess I'm gonna have to kill you," Zabuza said. He stabbed his sword into the ground before him. Still holding onto its handle, Zabuza pointed at Ichigo.

"Cleave..."

Ichigo's eyes widened dangerously as reiatsu began to ooze from the arrancar. Zabuza's blade began to emit a thick mist.

"Asesino(1)!"

Ichigo cried out as the mist became red and exploded forth. The thick fog filled the room in seconds, making anything beyond three feet in front of Ichigo impossible to see. The boy cursed at the new obstacle. A gurgling chuckle echoed throughout the chamber. It felt like it came from every direction, making tracking it impossible to Ichigo.

"Alright then. Let's see if I can't goad you into releasing that bankai of yours," Zabuza said from somewhere in the mist. Ichigo's eyes widened as a massive blade appeared next to him, hell bent in chopping the Shinigami in half. The red-head cried out and ducked under the slash. The weapon disappeared from view soon after. Ichigo cursed loudly as he held his blade up in hopes to stop the next attack. Another chuckle came from everywhere.

"What shall I lop off first? I could go for your sword hand, but then what would you hold your bankai with? Your ears would be funny, but not a very serious injury. Oh wait! I know, I'll simply take one of your feet!"

The Shinigami heard the whistle of a swung blade, and Ichigo brought his sword up to block the attack. Suddenly, the whistling came from another direction. Ichigo cried out as a slash tore into the right side of the back of his ribs. Blood flew from the wound, and Ichigo jumped up and away from whatever injured him. This was all for naught as Ichigo suddenly felt a strong presence behind him. The boy's eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of Zabuza in Resurrección form.

He was now much taller, almost seven feet. His mask had changed into a huge set of black jaws lined with large, sharp obsidian teeth. Two curved horns came from his forehead, and were very pointy. His attire had changed as well. Now, instead of lacking a shirt, Zabuza's chest was now covered in thick red plating, like that of the hide of a reptile. His limbs became encased in this armor, and his limbs were also much longer. His arms were slimmer, and his hands were in a black version of the plating. The arrancar's legs were double jointed, like that of a raptor. The Privaron Espada's feet were also like that of a raptor's and black, with one giant toe with a sharp claw. A long tail emerged from the bottom of his back. It was as long as he was, and covered in black plates and ended in a red bladed tip.

Clutched in Zabuza's right hand was a blade even bigger than his last. It had a six foot blade, with a two foot handle. The blade itself was curved slightly and serrated, in a dull silver color. The handle was made of black bone, with a human skull for its pommel. There were three holes in the flat of the blade, the center being the largest. Ichigo observed that from the center of each hole was where the mist seemed to be expunged from.

"Hey! Maybe if you were paying attention, you would have blocked this!"

Ichigo cried out as one of Zabuza's long arms flashed out, punching him in the face. The Shinigami was sent tumbling back to the floor in a daze. Zabuza gave a maniacal cackle at the sight.

"Come on kid! If you keep holding back on me, you're gonna wind up dead!"

Zabuza pounced down at his opponent. Ichigo rolled out of the way, missing the razor sharp claws on each of Zabuza's feet. The Shinigami got to his feet and immediately had to block another cleave from the arrancar. Ichigo grunted as he tried to match his opponent's arm strength, but simply could not. The boy cursed as he was sent skidding backward. Zabuza came at him again, and Ichigo had to strike.

Raising his blade up high, Ichigo yelled, "Getsuga Tenshou!"

Zangetsu came down, absorbing Ichigo's reiatsu, before amplifying it to the tip of the blade, shooting the slash forward. Zabuza raised an eyebrow at the attack before raising his own blade. The arrancar seemed to smile. His own blade came down, hitting Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshou. The two attacks met and clashed. It last only a second before Zabuza's zanpakutō cut the Getsuga in half. There was an explosion, causing the mist to recede from the two combatants. The two looked at each other, Zabuza with amusement, and Ichigo with shock.

"What's the matter gaki? Didn't expect my Asesino to cleave your attack so easily? Well get over it. I've told you before to use your bankai. This is the last time I extend my offer. After this, I will not hold back anymore. Do you understand?"

Ichigo clenched his fists in frustration. He didn't want to use his bankai yet, but this guy was strong. It seems that he would have to use it if he expected to win. Ichigo held his sword in front of himself.

Staring right into Zabuza's eyes, Ichigo said, "Bankai..."

The arrancar seemed to grin as black reiatsu began to shoot off from the boy's blade. The reiatsu soon swirled all over the young Shinigami. It spun and spun, quickly turning into a small scale cyclone. After a few seconds, the reiatsu receded, revealing Ichigo once again. Zabuza immediately noticed that the boy now wore a long black coat with a red lining. His zanpakutō, which once had the shape of a giant butcher's knife, was now a long pitch black katana with a manji-shaped guard and a little bit of chain coming from the pommel.

"Tensa Zangetsu."

Zabuza's eyes widened as Ichigo disappeared. Instincts kicking in, the former shinobi spun to block a slash coming from behind him. He looked to see that Ichigo was now behind him, blade already coming down to strike. Zabuza was able to block with his own large weapon. The two's zanpakutōs clashed in a brilliant shower of sparks. Zabuza noted that the power behind Ichigo's strikes had increased nicely. The arrancar gave a chuckle.

"Wow! So this is your bankai! I must say, it's quite appealing to the eye. However..."

Ichigo's eyes widened as the arrancar began to push him back.

"...This battle will be very long, if that's all you got!"

Zabuza lashed out with a swipe of his tail. Ichigo had to duck under the bladed tip of the appendage, leaving him wide open for a vicious kick to the stomach. The Shinigami grunted in pain as a sharp claw gored into his side. He growled at his opponent and jumped away. As he landed, Zabuza cackled and pointed at the boy.

Zabuza said, "This battle will be a lot more entertaining, now! However, it would be even better if you use that hollow transformation Grimmjow told us about!" The boy's eyes widened at this knowledge. So it seemed that his new power was known to Aizen and his soldiers. Ichigo's eyes narrowed. He dashed forward, aiming a thrust at Zabuza's chest.

The arrancar spun from the stab and retaliated with a thrust of his own. Ichigo leaped over the strike, going for a downwards slash at Zabuza's face. The Privaron turned his head slightly, catching Ichigo's blade with his horn. Ichigo's eyes widened at the act, while Zabuza seemed to smirk.

"I told you. Your bankai is impressive, but not enough to defeat me. You're fucked!"

"Getsuga Tenshou!"

Zabuza's smirk turned into a look of shock as a black Getsuga pulsed right in his face. There was a big explosion, and Ichigo came flipping out of the smoke. He landed perfectly, waiting for the smoke to clear. When it did, Zabuza's injured form appeared. He looked banged up, the horns on his head smashed to pieces, leaving only small portions left. His face sported a cut that ran diagonally from his left eyebrow to his right cheek. His chest was bleeding profusely as well, small but deep cuts lining it.

Ichigo smirked, saying, "Now then, are you satisfied?"

Zabuza glared at the younger boy in anger. Not answering his opponent, Zabuza quickly brought his large blade up to attack. The tall man dashed forward, ready to cleave the young Shinigami in half. Ichigo blocked with his own zanpakutō, but was still sent stumbling back at the force of the attack. Zabuza roared as he went for a horizontal slash, but Ichigo leaped over the angry strike. While in midair, Ichigo then struck out with another thrust towards Zabuza's face.

However, this time Zabuza was prepared. A light began forming in between the remnants of the arrancar's horns. A second later, Zabuza fired off his pale blue cero. Ichigo cursed and quickly had to counter with Getsuga. Black met pale blue, and black slowly prevailed. Yet, Zabuza had already moved in for his next attack. Leaping over the two clashing attacks, Zabuza came sailing down at Ichigo with a powerful slash. The Shinigami rolled away from the strike and quickly struck out with a diagonal swing. Zabuza used his reach advantage to lash out with a kick to Ichigo's stomach before the boy's attack could reach him.

The red-head gasped as the wind was forcefully ejected from his lungs. The Shinigami was sent hurdling away and into a wall. Ichigo cursed in pain as he pulled himself out of the wall again. Zabuza was there, already hoping to get in a strike. Ichigo quickly had to jump out of the way of Zabuza's Asesino. The arrancar's blade easily demolished the portion of the wall Ichigo had been standing in front of. Zabuza immediately turned back to his opponent, only to be struck with a Getsuga Tenshou. The arrancar cried out in pain as the black reiatsu based offensive exploded against his stomach.

The Privaron Espada went smashing and tumbling against the wall. He was bleeding profusely now, a large and deep slash carved in his abdomen. Blood simply poured from the grievous wound, and Zabuza began cough up the red liquid of life. He looked at his Shinigami opponent and roared in anger.

Zabuza raised his blade, yelling, "Compresión!(2)"

Suddenly, a huge expulsion of red mist soared at Ichigo. The mist was in the shape of a large kabuki mask that seemed to want to devour Ichigo. Said red-head fired off a Getsuga Tenshou in defense. The two massive attacks met and exploded almost immediately. Ichigo protected his face from the force of the explosion. As he did so, Zabuza dashed forward and struck out with an upwards cleave. Ichigo saw this and immediately blocked with Zangetsu. Underestimating the attack, the Shinigami did not expect to be launched up into the ceiling by the force of the slash.

Zabuza propelled himself at the young Shinigami. Ichigo, who was now standing on the next floor of the structure was taken by surprise when the arrancar came smashing through the floor. The red-head dodged a thrust directed at his chin before flipping away. Landing on his feet, Ichigo quickly moved forward with a slash. Zabuza, who was unprepared for the strike, had to block with the flat of his blade. A big mistake. The two weapons met in a deadlock, before Ichigo soon used the holes in the arrancar's zanpakutō to his advantage. Zangetsu slipped through the center hole, before punching straight into Zabuza's shoulder. The giant gave a yell of pain as Ichigo's sword pierced clean through. The Shinigami pulled his blade out and Zabuza stumbled backwards. Not letting up, Ichigo raised his blade high, before striking with a Getsuga.

Not having time to block, Zabuza took the attack head on. The Privaron was sent smashing straight through the floor and into the chamber below. Already losing consciousness, Zabuza could not defend himself as he hit the chamber floor.

Hard.

/

Zabuza slowly opened his eyes to find himself staring into the open mouth of a little girl. Blinking, Zabuza had no idea what was happening as a large glob of vomit splashed in his face.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!"

"Yeah...it seems that Nel's saliva has some very weak healing abilities..."

"You dumb shit! This ain't drool, this is fucking puke!"

Nel grinned and nodded, saying, "Yeah! I get ith when I pull on my throat penith!" Giving a demonstration, Nel stuck her hand in her mouth and gave her "throat penis" a good tug. Immediately, barf rolled up out her stomach and exploded from her mouth.

This only aggravated the injured Momochi.

"Dumbass! That isn't a 'throat penis!' That's your god damn uvula!"

"A uvu-what?"

"U-V-U-L-A! It's the thing you keep making yourself throw up with!"

"I don'th know...I thinkth I like throat penith better..."

A tic appeared on Zabuza's head before he suddenly calmed. He looked over to Ichigo.

"Well, you beat me, kid. Congratulations. Now get the hell out of here."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, when a group arrancar suddenly appeared. Zabuza seemed to sneer at the one in the middle, whose mask was like that of an animal's skull.

"Rudobon. Let me guess, that quack Szayel sent you to get me for experiments?"

The arrancar nodded slowly, and Zabuza suddenly let out an intense flare of killing intent. The arrancar seemed to freeze for a moment, and Zabuza shot to his feet.

Looking at Ichigo, Zabuza said, "Get out of here kid. Go and fight the Espada like you wanted. I'll have some fun with these assholes. You can go and have fun getting yourself killed." Ichigo was hesitant at first, but when the other arrancar began to move, Ichigo took Nel and fled. Zabuza seemed to grin as he turned his attention to the Exequias(3).

"Okay then, boys. If that fag wants my body for his gay little experiments, you'll have to put me down yourselves!"

/

Uryu cursed loudly as a volley of needles found their way into his right thigh.

"Wow, Uryu-san, that looked like it hurt!"

Said Quincy was finding it very hard to keep himself from maiming his hollow compatriot, Pesche Guatiche. Said hollow wore a mask that looked like an insect's head, with a large pair of mandibles. He wore an eye patch over his right eye, as well as wearing a white vest and a loincloth.

"Would you shut up and help me fight this guy!"

Pesche was taken aback by the outburst, before answering with, "Well, I was going to until you yelled at me..."

"I believe you two should focus more on me than a petty squabble."

The two had to quickly jump away from a hail of reiatsu needle rained down on them. Uryu fired his bow at Haku as fast as he could. Said Privaron easily used sonido to avoid all projectiles. Haku then appeared in front of his opponent, blade flying down at Uryu's shoulder. The Quincy cursed and tried to jump backwards, but still suffered a slightly deep cut on his shoulder. As Uryu landed, he surprisingly shot back at Haku. Raising his bow, the young Quincy prepared to fire an arrow point-blank into Haku's face. Just as Uryu let go to let the arrow fly, Haku was next to him, already landing three shallow stabs into his side.

The young Quincy gave a cry of pain as he stumbled forward. Haku lashed out with a kick that sent the boy flying into Pesche. The two went skidding away. Uryu quickly got to his feet, a grimace set on his face.

"Damn...this guy is fast, much more so that either of us. What the hell are we going to do?" asked Uryu as he brought his bow up. Not hesitating, Uryu fired off another volley. Haku once again swung his short sword, and a wave of green reiatsu needles intercepted Uryu's arrows. However, this did not dishearten Uryu as he quickly went into motion. Leaping high into the air, Uryu fired more arrows. Growing bored of this game, Haku simply used sonido to appear behind his opponent. Uryu's eyes widened considerably as a kick slammed into the back of his head. His vision swam and he went plummeting to the pool of water in the center of the room. He entered with a mighty splash, and Haku seemed to sigh.

"You aren't fairing very well. Perhaps I should simply end your misery instead of clowning around."

Haku seemed to put his hands up in prayer, only with his zanpakutō clasped in between his hands. The arrancar closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He reopened his eyes, and now they were bright white instead of black. Looking down at his opponents, Haku let out his breath.

"Seize, Invierno(4)."

The temperature in the room dropped significantly as a small-scale blizzard formed around Haku. Pesche looked on in alarm as Uryu did not resurface. The blizzard around Haku began to get smaller and smaller, until Haku himself was revealed.

No longer did the boy wear a white sweater and pants, now Haku was garbed in a white fur coat and a pair of heavy blue pants. His black hair was now tied into a ponytail and was much longer, almost reaching his feet. Haku's skin was extremely pale, and his face sported a more advanced mask fragment. The fragment looked like the front of a crown, with icicles as the points.

He now wielded two shuriken-like weapons, but instead of being in the shape of stars, they were in the shape of snowflakes. They were very large, both four feet in diameter. They seemed to be made out of a green crystal-like material. Haku held the weapons with a handle that was in the center of each weapon.

The arrancar looked down at the pool of water below him.

"May you go peacefully...Ártico(5)."

Haku swung his left weapon, and a bright white wave of reiatsu was sent soaring down at the pool of water. When the attack hit, the water in the pool froze almost immediately. Pesche gasped in horror as Uryu was frozen alive. Haku turned his attention to the hollow, and Pesche gulped.

"You are all that is left in this area. Come, let me kill you, and it will be with no pain."

Pesche began to back away from the Privaron, and Haku suddenly appeared in front of the hollow.

"Goodbye."

Haku brought his weapon to slash Pesche, when there was a cracking sound. Eyes widening, Haku turned back to the frozen pool. Spiderweb cracks were appearing on the surface of the ice. The cracking noise was growing louder and louder, before an explosion shook the frozen pool. Large pieces of frozen water went smashing into the walls of the chamber. Haku looked on with raised eyebrows.

"I'm glad I had thought of this ahead of time. When Uruhara-san was taking me out of the hospital, I knew that these would come in handy. So, using his impressive abilities, I humbly borrowed them from the secret vault under the hospital for later use."

Uryu stood on a large piece of ice that was jutting up from the others. In his left hand was a blade with a glowing white reiatsu blade. Uryu looked down to Haku.

"These weapons are known as Seele Schneider(6). The only Quincy weapons that possesses a blade."

Pesche looked on in wonder at Uryu's new weapon. But then his eyes narrowed a bit.

"Did...did you say borrowed them from a hidden vault? Without permission? THIEF!"

"SHUT UP," bellowed Uryu in aggravation, "When did I say I took them without permission!"

"Oh, so you did have permission!"

"No, not really."

"Ah-ha! So you didn't have permission! You thief!"

A tic appeared on Uryu's head. "Whose side are you on anyways! Would you just silence already? You always go around interrupting people when they're talking!"

"What? What a way for you to speak to your benefactor! For shame, Ichigo!"

Uryu began seeing red as he said, "**I'm Uryu!**"

Haku took this time to speak.

"So. You are Quincy then."

Uryu smiled a bit as he said, "Ah, so you have heard of us. I'm quite honored."

Haku nodded, saying, "Yes, I know of your people. They were exterminated by the Shinigami, correct? I'm afraid that is all the knowledge I have on the Quincy."

The Quincy frowned deeply at that.

"Yes, that is correct."

Haku's eyes widened as the boy vanished like it was nothing. The arrancar frowned a bit as he spun around and blocked a swing from Uryu's blade. He pushed the Quincy away.

"Why is someone like yourself helping the likes of the Shinigami? It does not make much sense, Quincy-san."

Uryu looked at Haku, saying, "There is not a need to answer that question. Instead of focusing on me, perhaps you should pay attention to that weapon of yours?"

Haku's eyes narrowed as he looked upon he had blocked Uryu's slash with. It was cleaved in two.

"Did you not see what happened earlier? I had easily carved out of that ice with Seele Schneider. You see, my weapon is much like a chainsaw. Three million spirit particles make a round trip per second around the edge of the spirit particle blade. It makes quick work of anything that it slices. Like your ice, or your weapon."

Haku listened to Uryu's lecture before nodding.

"I see. It seems that your weapon is indeed quite incredible. However, mine have their surprises as well. Watch."

And Uryu did. He watched as the ice around him began to erode into snow, before flying towards Haku's ruined weapon. Slowly but surely, the snowflake-shaped blade reformed until it looked like it was brand new. Uryu's eyes narrowed at the feat.

"So you can reform your weapons with the ice around you. This will be challenging, then."

Haku blurred into motion, firing a volley of his green reiatsu needles. Uryu dodged the attack and went in to attack with Seele Schneider. Haku pivoted out of the way of a thrust to his chest. The Privaron retaliated with a swing of his left weapon. Uryu cursed and leaned back away from the strike. However, he still suffered a shallow cut on his left cheek. The Quincy hissed as the wound immediately became frostbitten. Uryu quickly jumped away. As he did, Haku raised his two weapons in front of himself like shields.

"Nevada(7)!"

Suddenly, dozens of small projectiles were sent at Uryu. They were large white snowflakes in the size of shuriken. The Quincy cursed as he was forced to dodge the volley. He avoided most of them, but not one. Uryu quickly tried to bat the missile away with Seele Schneider, but when he did, he instantly regretted it. His blade made contact, and the snowflake exploded in a shower of sharp icicles. Uryu cried out as two embedded themselves in his left arm. The wounds, like the one on his cheek, started to become frostbitten. Seeing this, Uryu pulled the two spikes out of his arm. He was able to avoid serious frostbite. It seemed it took longer for the projectiles to cause the cold ailment.

"Do you see? Even though your sword is impressive, it cannot stop the effects of my attacks. My attacks are more long-ranged, and you can't get up close to me with your blade. I believe it is time to draw an end to this bout," Haku said as he began to spin his two strange weapons.

"Avalancha(8)!"

He tossed both weapons at once and they went soaring at Uryu. The attack was immense, for the space behind the two weapons began to become filled with snow. This snow moved like a wave, going to wipe out Uryu. However, the Quincy didn't seem frightened at all. He actually looked as though he was smiling.

"You seem to think that Seele Schneider is only but a blade. I'm afraid you are wrong. You see, the Quincy only use bow and arrow."

Uryu summoned his bow and then brought up Seele Schneider. He pulled the weapon back like an arrow, before firing. It went through the two projectiles and the avalanche behind them with ease. There was nothing more in the projectile's way.

"It seems that my attack has finally reached you."

Seele Schneider pierced Haku all the way through.

/

"Sado-kun is not dead...he's not dead."

Those were the words that Orihime spoke to Ulquiorra. However, Ulquiorra did not answer.

"Enter," the Espada said.

An arrancar entered the room with a cart. It seemed that it was feeding time.

"Dinner time. Eat," said Ulquiorra in his usual monotone.

Orihime frowned, before saying, "I...I don't need it."

Ulquiorra simply said, "It is your duty to preserve your life until Aizen-sama is in need of you. So eat."

She did not answer.

"Shall I force it down your throat then? Or perhaps you wish me you tie you down and have your nutrition given intravenously?"

She looked down, saying, "Sado-kun is not dead..."

"Such persistence. Dead or alive, either way will suffice. What would you have me say? 'I assure you, I'm sure he is still alive?' Do not be foolish. I am not here to comfort you."

Orihime turned away from him, and he frowned.

"I do not understand. Why are you so fixated on life and death? It is of little importance. Your friends will all die eventually. So what if that's one step closer? All of them should have predicted this."

By this time, Orihime was staring at Ulquiorra in horror.

"Stop it," she whispered.

He did not, saying, "If they could not see this coming, the blame lies in their own foolishness. Writing them off as an idiotic band of miscreants would be quite easy. Why can you not do this? If it was I, and my friends entered Hueco Mundo without first realizing their strength, I would be infuriated by their stupidity."

She came across the room, then. She came immediately to slap him straight across the face. It turned his head to the side, and caused a loud smacking noise. He was still for a moment, before his gaze fell on her. Orihime was in near tears and breathing heavily. He took no action, however. He simply turned around and began to walk away.

As he left, he said, "I will return in an hour. If you have not eaten by then, I will bind you and force you to eat. You can count on that."

When he was gone, Inoue Orihime fell to her knees, weeping.

/

"Come on, Sarutobi! We must hurry! Sado-san is not far away, but he is definitely fading fast!"

"Okay, jeez! I"m coming!"

The two Shinigami from 13th Division finally came out of the flight of stairs, before stopping dead in their tracks. They had come out of a stairwell to a blue sky? However, something else caught their attention. A shadow loomed over them, from behind. They immediately turned around to look up.

"Well then. Isn't this an interesting sight. Long time no see, eh Asuma?"

Uzumaki Naruto stood on his blade which was stuck into the side of the wall above the stairwell entrance.

**END**

/

(1)- Asesino: means murder in Spanish.

(2)- Compresión: means pressure in Spanish. Zabuza's attack that creates a giant kabuki mask out of red mist. The attack hits the opponent with an incredible pressure that would crush them.

(3)- Exequias: means Funeral Rites in Spanish. Rudobon's group or arrancar.

(4)- Invierno: means winter in Spanish.

(5)- Ártico: means arctic in Spanish. Launches a wave of freezing cold reiatsu.

(6)- Seele Schneider: German for Soul Cutter.

(7)- Nevada: means snowfall in Spanish. Throws a volley of snowflake shuriken that explode in a rain of icicles.

(8)- Avalancha: means avalanche in Spanish. Creates an avalanche behind the two weapons Haku wields when thrown.

Okay! I think this is a pretty successful chapter after such a long wait. Probably my longest, too. The next chapter with focus mainly on Asuma and Naruto's battle.


	16. XV ¡RÁFAGA!

**Antagonist**

by Kalashnikov2092

Disclaimer: I have no properties in the Naruto and Bleach franchises.

Author's Musings: First of all, I have something to bring up. An author by the name of Faroush brought up that Haku's weapons from the last chapter are almost exactly like the ones Haku wields in his story. I would like to clarify that this was a HUGE coincidence, and neither of us are mad about it.

Time for another chap! This time, Naruto's back in action, this time against Sarutobi Asuma. Should be an interesting fight. Very interesting, heh heh heh! So then, enjoy the new chapter!

/

"I have not yet begun to fight." - Captain John Paul Jones

"Win with ability, not with numbers." - Aleksandr Suvorov

/

XV: ¡RÁFAGA!

"Rukia-san. It would be best if you go on ahead without me."

Those words came from Sarutobi Asuma's mouth as he slowly drew his two zanpakutō. He was looking up to the grinning Uzumaki Naruto.

"What! Are you absolutely crazy? You heard the reports, you know how strong this guy is! Let me help you!"

Asuma shook his head. He couldn't let his subordinate get killed. Not by this guy. She needed to live, both for herself, and that Ichigo fellow.

"I'm sorry Rukia, but that is out of the question. Remember, we're not here to fight this guy. We're here to save Orihime-san."

He could hear Rukia growl, before she said, "You idiot! Of course we need to save Orihime! But not at the cost of your life!"

There was a chuckle, and Asuma was suddenly aware that Uzumaki Naruto had disappeared. He felt a tug on the back of his shirt, and then was vaguely aware of the fact that he was sailing through the air. Mind catching up to him, Asuma cursed and angled himself so that when he landed, he would land on his feet. He did, landing on top of a random building. There was a chuckle again, and Naruto was standing on a building adjacent to his own.

"Now that we're away from her, let's talk."

/

Rukia quickly ran to the railing so she could help Asuma fight this Naruto person. However, she stopped when she felt a presence behind her. She turned around to see who it was, simply to find nothing.

"_I __believe your partner said to stay out of his battle._"

Rukia's eyes widened as she looked down the walkway. There stood somebody with a large white mask and adorned in frilly clothing. She narrowed her eyes at the newcomer.

"Who are you?"

"_If you would a__ccompany me, I will tell you._"

/

Asuma and Naruto were staring each other down at the present. Asuma's eyes were cold and calculating, ready for whatever was about to happen. Naruto's eyes showed he was very carefree and thought that this was a joke.

"You said you wanted to talk," the Sarutobi said evenly.

Naruto smirked.

"Well, not really. It's just that when I'm about to kick another former Konoha shinobi's ass, they love to blather on. I expected you to do the same."

Asuma glared at Naruto, saying, "No. I haven't come to do that, Naruto. I understand what is going to happen. I understand that it's us against you. I don't like the way things turned out for you when you died, but that doesn't change the fact that you nearly killed Rin, and then _did_ kill Shizune. As far as I'm concerned, you're as good as dead."

A large grin decided to spread across Naruto's face at that moment.

"Good. This pleases me to no end, Asuma. Finally, another shinobi that has no qualms about killing me. Let us start."

And with that, Asuma drew his blade. In fact, he drew two blades. Both were tantos with green hilts. He began spinning the weapons on his fingers. Then, he stopped, ending up with one tanto pointing up, with the other pointing down.

Looking at Naruto, Asuma said, "Rend, Araikaze(1)!"

The two tantos seemed to melt, covering Asuma's hands. He didn't look worried at all as the melted steel of his blades completely consumed his hands. The steel seemed to solidify, before glowing a bright emerald green. The light blinded everything, and when it faded, it revealed Asuma's unsealed zanpakutō.

The weapon was essentially claws. They were green metal gauntlets with foot long blades for fingers. The blades were decorated with blue swirls, like gusts of wind.

Asuma pointed the blades on his fingers at Naruto.

"Let's go."

Naruto smiled.

"How imposing. I must say, your zanpakutō is very unique. It reminds me of Shaw Long's Resurrección. Though, if the name is any indicator, your weapon is also good for long range attacks."

Asuma frowned and nodded.

Naruto seemed to smile even wider as he said, "You know what? I'm so inspired by your sword release, I believe I will use mine as well."

Asuma's eyes widened in horror. Naruto drew his blade, before seeming to stab it through his own chest. However, the blade went harmlessly through his hollow hole.

"Here, let yourself witness it. Mutilate, Malévolo Verdugo!"

Reiatsu, a deep and horrible gray exploded out of the center of Naruto's chest. It writhed on him, consuming him whole. He soon was immersed in a sphere of the gray energy. The gray reiatsu rippled, and the sphere of energy suddenly turned into a sphere of steel. Then, a blade came from the the front of that metal sphere.

Then a hand.

Then an arm.

Then a head.

Then an entire human being, if you could even call it that.

Asuma looked at the new Naruto in terrible awe.

Naruto's dark blond hair was no longer spiky, nor dark. It drooped down to his chin, all except a pony tail that ran all the way down to his knees. His hair was now in a platinum blond, but did not shine. His normally warm skin was now very pale. The small spikes that were his mask remnants were now replaced by whisker marks made of three blades on each cheek. His teeth became longer and sharp, barely poking out over his lips. His red eyes were quite striking now, due to the fact that there was a pentagram in each iris, with a gray pupil in the center of each ungodly star. He was garbed in a cloak with plate mail covering his torso and arms. The armor was made out of a dark gray metal, and was accentuated with many spiky and spiny edges. He wore shoulder guards that looked as though they were simply fox skulls. The armor on his arms was much like the one on his torso, except for the forearms. They were much like the ANBU forearm guards, but in the same dark gray metal, and had three blades running down each of the guards. He wore steel gauntlets, much like the Ring Wraiths of that human movie from the west. The bottom of the cloak was open on the sides, allowing easy leg movement. The bottom of the cloak was also adorned with an intricate tribal stitching in a dark red. Under the cloak, Naruto also wore plated leggings and metal plated boots.

Naruto held his blade in his right hand. It was in the length and design of an odachi, but the blade itself was completely straight. The color of the sword's blade was a light gray that did not reflect light. There were etchings on the blade, which looked like five pentagrams, all near the guard. The guard itself was in the shape of a German iron cross, much like the ones the country adorned in WWII. The cross was black, with a red outline. The handle was red and black as well, with a gray pommel.

"Look upon me, Sarutobi Asuma. For this is a true death god."

/

Kurosaki Ichigo stopped dead in his tracks as he felt the overwhelming pressure of this new reiatsu.

"W-what in the hell is this?" Ichigo whispered to himself. Nel had also stopped, and was presently on her knees.

/

Ulquiorra's eyes widened as he had to stop. He looked off in a random direction.

"Naruto? Why are you using Resurrección? Is your opponent truly that powerful? No...I can sense your opponent. He is nowhere near your level...hm...should have expected you to go overkill like this. You've been itching to use that for forever, haven't you? Damn. May God have mercy on his opponent's soul. For Naruto shall not."

/

Orihime clutched the front of her shirt, right above her heart. She did this because of the ungodly reiatsu that began to rain down is Las Noches. Nobody had ever put out a reiatsu so terrifying to her, not even Ichigo!

She began to pray for her friends.

/

Rukia, who had at first been surprised to find that the masked man had been _Kaien_ of all people, was now absolutely terrified at the reiatsu that was pouring down near them. She gasped for breath, but simply could not find it.

Kaien seemed a bit shaken as well, but nowhere as much as his former underling. He was also frowning.

"Rukia-chan. I'm afraid to say that your friend is about to die."

/

Aizen smiled a bit as he felt Naruto's Resurrección.

"So you've decided to use it. I just hope you don't end up destroying my castle. It's such a lovely place to have tea..."

/

Naruto's face was completely impassive as he looked down at the quivering Sarutobi.

"Hm. So you have seen it. But now, I believe that it's enough."

And Uzumaki Naruto promptly let his Resurrección fade. Asuma looked on in surprise. The resealed Uzumaki smirked at him.

"What? Were you expecting me to fight you like that? Oh, goodness no. If I were to do that, this place would just be a crater. Aizen would not be very happy about that. Besides, you should thank me for not truly using Malévolo Verdugo. Now you will get to live longer than a mere second. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

Asuma was finally able to regain his composure. What he had just felt...never before had he felt someone so powerful. This was bad. Very bad. If Naruto was this strong...

"So then! Shall we actually do battle? Or is the hopelessness of it all enough to just allow you to let me kill you?"

Asuma growled and got into a fighting stance.

"Good..."

Asuma had to quickly block a strike to his left. He grasped Naruto's blade in his left gauntlet, before going with a slash with his right. Naruto grabbed the man's right wrist, negating the attack. He twisted the wrist, and Asuma grunted in pain. Trying to break Naruto's hold, Asuma didn't have time to block a brutal head butt to his mouth. He cried out and felt some of his teeth loosen. Blood began to fill his mouth and Asuma grimaced. With a quick yank, he pulled himself from Naruto's grip.

The Shinigami immediately flipped backwards, hands reared back. While in midair, Asuma slashed his claws at the arrancar. When he did, Naruto could immediately see a series of distortions fly at him. The Uzumaki rolled out of the way as the distortions hit where he once stood. The area he once occupied was suddenly covered in multiple gashes. Naruto seemed to smile.

"Blades of wind? Not very original..."

Asuma was suddenly behind him, right hand flashing forward to gore the arrancar. Naruto narrowed his eyes and spun around, slashing as he did so. The strike batted Asuma's gauntlet away with ease, but the man took the attack in stride. He spun as well, ending with a back hand slash at Naruto's face. The blond sneered and ducked under the swipe, smashing a bala into the man's stomach as he did so. The Sarutobi was sent skidding away for some distance, before he stuck his hands out. A gust of wind in the opposite direction stopped his movement.

Taking the offensive, Naruto flashed forward with a sonido. Asuma was caught flatfooted as a kick snapped his head backwards. The man flipped backwards at the power of the blow, and had no ability to defend as Naruto moved in once again. The blond arrancar reared his fist back and struck out with a jab to Asuma's chest. The Shinigami gave a wheeze as the air was knocked out of him. The Sarutobi went crashing down into the roof of a random building. The structure somehow held, that was, until, Naruto dropped from the sky and landed feet first in Asuma's stomach. The man cried out as he was sent through the roof of the building. He landed on the floor of said housing, and was quickly made aware of the fact that he had company.

"Ah, hey there, Mila, Sun-Sun, Apache. How's life treating ya'?"

Asuma looked at the three female arrancar in worry. He was already fighting Naruto, and that was going horrendously. Now if these three got involved, there would be no chance of survival.

The shortest of the three women scowled, saying, "Dammit Naruto! What are you doing, throwing Shinigami through the roof of our house? Not to mention using your Resurrección! You scared me half to death!"

Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, Apache-chan. I got a little carried away..."

The girl just sighed. "Whatever. Now then, do you want us to take care of this guy, or haven't you had enough fun yet?"

Naruto gave a bark of laughter as he said, "Oh no, Apache-chan! I'm enjoying myself too much to give up Asuma...no, I believe _I'll _be the one to kill him today."

By this time, Asuma was back on his feet, glaring at the blond. Naruto chuckled at the stare.

"Alrighty then! You three, you're welcome to come watch our little bout if you wish. IF not, I'll catch you guys around later!"

Asuma was sent flying through the wall of the structure. He tried to get to his feet immediately. but an ax kick to the small of his back sent him back to the ground. Naruto then grabbed the Shinigami by the back of his shirt, before tossing the man straight up. Naruto followed soon after, striking upwards into Asuma's stomach with a punch. The man rose upwards even further with the strike, and Naruto did not let up. Punch after punch slammed into the Shinigami's stomach. The Lieutenant of 13th Division had blood ejecting from his mouth by now.

Naruto reared his hand back once more, but this time, it was an open hand instead of a fist. Asuma barely noticed this, and turned his body at the last second. This was a good mood, for instead of goring the Shinigami, Naruto's hand gave a semi-deep cut. Asuma clenched his teeth at the pain, but still managed to twist his body enough to get some distance between him and the Uzumaki.

The blond sneered at the act and turned to Asuma. He was then met with a crushing pillar of wind, sending the arrancar sailing away. Asuma allowed himself to fall so he could set foot on solid ground. He accomplished the task before he heard laughter echo throughout. The man went on the defensive immediately, recognizing the owner of the laughter.

"My, you're still able to move Asuma-san? How surprising! The beating I dished out should have been enough to deliver very nasty injuries to your internal organs. The pain right about now should be horrendous."

Asuma sneered at those words.

"Sorry kid, but weak hits like those aren't gonna be enough to affect me."

Another bark of laughter permeated across the area.

"Yes, you were quite tough when those two Akatsuki agents killed you, leaving a pregnant lover to raise her child on her own..."

Fury exploded across Asuma's face.

"You shut your mouth!"

"I mean, really, what were you thinking? Only taking two chunin and a fellow jounin to fight S-Ranked missing nin whose abilities you didn't even know. Not a very good move for a shinobi to make."

"I said, shut your mouth!"

"You were no better than Sasuke, going out for revenge. While those two were my enemies, they were doing what Konoha itself does: collect bounties. There was a bounty on that monk's head, and they simply collected on it. As I said before, Konoha also collected bounties. You yourself have probably done it as well. Yet you demonized it because it affected you negatively this time. How hypocritical. Did you ever take time to think that when Konoha collected bounties, it affected people the same way it affected you? That it affected other people so strongly? Hate, sorrow, all these things have most likely been caused by Konoha as well."

Asuma clenched his fists in anger.

"That's the way ninja life was, Naruto. You should know this quite well."

"And _you _should know better to rush in head first. But you didn't. And you died, leaving a nephew, an old team, and a pregnant woman alone to suffer. You should have seen Kurenai cry at your funeral. It was raining on that, and I believe her tears outmatched the downpour in quantity."

"SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!"

Asuma's mouth, in turn, was shut as Naruto's fist delivered a powerful uppercut. The man was sent stumbling backwards from his smiling opponent.

"Denial? Who would have thought..."

Naruto moved in again, a slash carving down Asuma's right shoulder. The Shinigami gave a roar of agony and tried to retaliate against the blond. Asuma swung his left claw at Naruto, only for the attack to be thwarted. Naruto had struck with a swing of his own, slicing the blades on Asuma's fingers clean off at where the man's real fingertips would have been. Looking in shock at his ruined weapon, the man had no time to react as a lateral slash tore through his stomach. The Sarutobi gasped, blood hiccuping out of his mouth as he did so.

Anger suddenly rising on the Shinigami's face, Asuma raised his right hand before bringing it down. A massive gust of wind exploded forth, seeming to annihilate the blond arrancar. However, this was not so, as the infamous Uzumaki appeared behind Asuma. The man was caught by surprise when Naruto's pointer and middle finger punched clean through the flesh of his back. They then easily pierced the ribs underneath. Asuma cried out in pain as Naruto then proceeded to wriggle his fingers inside of the man.

"I wonder...is this what it would have felt like to have my fingers inside Kurenai?"

Once again, anger easily flooded the Shinigami's face. However, the fury was replaced by pain as Naruto pulled his fingers out. Asuma stumbled forward, before getting a vicious boot to the small of his back. He cried out and smashed into the ground.

Naruto rested his blade on his shoulder, "It's over. Your defeat is quite thorough at this point. So then, how shall I deliver the killing blow?"

Asuma growled and got to his knees. Naruto was standing right next to him, and the Shinigami attempted to attack. He pulled his right arm backwards in hope to throw another wind gust. However, he did not expect to find Naruto's sword enter through the gap between collarbone and neck, before leaving at the back of his left ribcage. Blood bloomed from the horrendous wound. More of the precious fluid sprayed from Sarutobi Asuma's lips.

"You are done. Now embrace true death."

/

Asuma found himself lying down on the branch of a tree.

"Here? I'm here? I thought that I would be dead!"

This was Sarutobi Asuma's mind.

"Dead? I'm afraid this is not so, brother Asuma. You are still alive, even if it is barely so."

Asuma turned to his left to find the physical manifestation of his zanpakutō, Araikaze. The spirit was a tall person garbed completely in clothes made of leaves. His face was hidden by a tangle of roots. His hands were also adorned in Asuma's clawed weapons.

"So if I ain't dead, what am I gonna do? Just wait here to die?"

"That depends. Will you choose to do such a thing? Or will you get stronger?"

Asuma clenched his teeth. "Get stronger? Sorry, that's pretty hard to do when you have hole passing through the major organs in your chest!"

"Who ever said that you would die because of those injuries? If you complete the trial I am mulling over, the result will be a chance to live once more. "

"So? No matter what kind of trial I do, I won't be able to kill that guy! You too must have felt the power he displayed when he released! Even if I were to master something like bankai, it still won't be enough!"

"You underestimate yourself, brother Asuma."

"And I think you overestimate yourself, Araikaze..."

"Oh ho! Doubting me, are you?"

"You bet I am. You have always been one to think too much of yourself. And right now is a moment where you need to cut that out. You are a part of my spirit, so you should know how strong Naruto is."

The zanpakutō was silent.

"Now then...I am willing to try. I very seriously doubt I'll be able to win, but maybe I can injure him, soften him up for one of the others."

"Very well...as I said before, there is a trial you will have to overcome to gain bankai."

"Yeah, and what is this trial?"

"Pain, my brother. Lots and lots of pain."

"What? Pain! Why the hell pain?"

"The method I plan to use is to pluck apart your soul, piece by piece, to find the ultimate weapon in you. To manifest the most powerful aspect of you. Do you understand?"

"I guess..."

"Very well. Try not to cry too much."

/

Naruto smiled a bit as there was a pulse. It was small at first, but then became stronger and more rapid.

"So you live? You're as burly as you look."

Asuma was standing up, blood absolutely drenching his person. Naruto gave his applause.

"Hooray! He stands once more! I must say, you must be quite determined to kill me."

"You have no idea," Asuma wheezed out.

Asuma held his hands in front of him all of a sudden. Naruto raised an eyebrow at the act.

"More for me to see? Alright then, I enjoy being entertained."

"Bankai..."

A tornado came to life around Asuma. It kicked up a storm of sand, but Naruto did not shield himself. He was too focused on the sight before him.

The tornado began to compress, and then explode. When the explosion faded, Asuma stood with bankai ready. It was a giant gorilla, made of leaves and blades. That was the only thing Naruto could describe it as. Asuma was inside of the behemoth, glowing a pale green. The colossal ape had skin made of dark green leaves. Its hands, feet, and teeth were just giant blades. A stripe of blades ran down its head like a mohawk.

"Shukyou Araikaze (2)."

These words were spoken from the gorilla's mouth. The voice was a combination of Asuma's and another's, a much deeper and earthier voice.

Naruto smirked. "Aren't you cuddly..."

The ape suddenly moved forward, arms raised high up, and hands clenched into semi-fists. The creature brought its fists down, and Naruto immediately flipped backwards. The two mammoth appendages created something close to hurricane-force winds when they hit the ground. Anything in front of the behemoth was blown away with ease.

Naruto landed a whiles away, a small grin on his face. The ape zanpakutō looked up at him, a snarl showing on its leafy face. Naruto was not intimidated as he brought his hand up.

"Cero!"

A blast of energy went soaring at the creature almost immediately. However, Asuma did not move, instead, he willed his beast to take in a breath. It then exhaled, spewing a giant blast of blades. The two attacks met, causing a momentous explosion. Shards of blades went flying everywhere, all while Naruto was cackling in delight.

"What an interesting attack! You're quite the amusing foe, Asuma!"

Naruto surprisingly went in for an attack. He raised his hand up, almost like in preparation for a chop. There was an instant when Asuma saw that Naruto's hand was glowing, but then he lost sight as Naruto brought his hand down.

"Carnicero!"

A blade composed out of a cero swung down, shearing off the gorilla's left arm. The giant appendage dropped with a thump. Asuma's and the gorilla's face showed a look of awe.

"Surprised, monkey-boy? Well, it ain't over yet! Bermellón Espiral(3)!"

And Naruto began to spin parallel to the ground. As he did, a red aura began to cyclone around him. Suddenly, huge spikes of red reiatsu began to branch out of the vortex. Asuma was taken completely by surprise as these spikes then began to pierce his gorilla. The areas were the spike pierced began to atomize almost immediately. Asuma felt one nick his ear and cursed at the overwhelming burning sensation. He willed his beast to back up.

As it did, Naruto's attack ended, the vortex and attached spikes fading away. However, Naruto was still not satisfied. He once again flew at the giant, sword raised high above his head. He slashed the chest of the beast, cleaving clean through. Asuma's eyes widened as Naruto looked him straight in the face.

"How's it going, monkey-boy?"

A bala blasted the man in the chest. He cried out and he, along with his monster, went flying backwards. The monster toppled over, and the blond went to strike again. However, this time Asuma was ready. As the arrancar descended on his creation, the creature brought one of its hands and one of its feet up to clap the boy between them. However, Asuma noticed something was wrong. Naruto had been able to block the attack with each of his feet. He smirked down at the Shinigami.

"Cero!"

The blast of energy came from the boy's mouth this time, as he laughed. The beam of deadly energy smashed into his behemoth's head, blowing half of it away. Asuma cursed and threw the blond away. Said arrancar went soaring into wall, but came out unscathed. He laughed at Asuma's futile attempt to injure him.

"This is all you can offer? Such an intimidating bankai, but it's all bark and no bite. How pathetic. This whole battle is just a debacle. Why don't you just surrender and die? I promise it won't hurt _too _much."

The ensuing laughter really pissed Asuma off.

So, the man once again willed his creature. It stood up as quickly as it could. And when it finally got to its feet, it reared its fist back. Naruto raised an eyebrow at what the next move would be. His thoughts were soon answered as the beast punched the air in front of it, creating a giant wave of wind blades. Naruto nodded at the attack, before taking off. He zipped forward, dodging the blades, despite their immense size. As he got past them, he had to dodge as Asuma's gorilla let loose another breath of blades.

Naruto raised his hand again, only this time saying, "Cero Cascada!"

The yellow tidal waved turned into a jet spray of the liquefied cero. The spray met Asuma's rain of blades, and easily dissolved the weaker attack. Asuma cursed as he was forced to dodge the spray that then flew at him. His beast rolled to the side, smashing through a building as it did so. Naruto chased after it, peppering the monstrosity with bala. The speedy cero sent the beast stumbling for a moment, before it regained footing. As Naruto approached, the ape swiped at the arrancar with its claws. Naruto used sonido almost subconsciously, evading the strikes like child's play.

Finally inside the bankai's defenses, Naruto attacked with a point blank cero. The "hollow flash" blew the mammoth's left leg off as though it was nothing. The creature stumbled and began to fall forward, but caught itself by balancing on its right leg. Naruto gave a chuckle at the display.

"Still going? I commend you for you resilience!"

The blond was silenced when the beast topple over. He raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe I spoke too soon..."

Naruto jumped on top of the ape, walking over to its chest, where Asuma resided. Said Shinigami was lying down inside the creature, looking to be unconscious.

"I wonder if he's fakin'..."

His answer was given when a vine suddenly wrapped around his legs in an iron grip. He sneered at the now awake Asuma.

"Not as stupid as you used to be, eh Naruto. But still, you're stupid enough to get this close to my bankai. Suck on this, Sakari Oonami(4)!"

There was a shifting under the beast's leaf skin, and Naruto narrowed his eyes. His eyes suddenly widened as the leaves shriveled, revealing an uncountable amount of blades underneath them.

"Goodbye, Naruto. May you find a better afterlife."

The blades all came up at once, completely consuming the boy. Asuma could no longer see the blond, there were so many blades. The blades then began to compress, an act that would effectively skewer Naruto. If that wasn't enough, the blades proceeded to explode, ending Asuma's bankai. The burly Shinigami sighed and flopped down onto his back.

"Man, it's pretty embarrassing that I had to use my bankai's trump card, just when I got it. But, as long as I'm alive, I shouldn't be complaining."

The man sheathed his two tanto, which were now looking worse for the wear. He sat up, ready to go help Rukia, wherever she was.

"Hi Asuma."

Asuma's eyes widened exponentially as he turned around to find Uzumaki Naruto still alive. The boy's clothes were in tatters, but he hardly had any wounds at all. The only injury Asuma could see was a minuscule cut on the boy's chest, which was bleeding very slowly.

"Bye Asuma."

Asuma never saw the movement that would send Naruto's blade forward, piercing his right eye before coming out the back of his head. The Sarutobi died instantly, brain destroyed. Naruto lifted the blade up, raising Asuma along with it. His head blocked out the sun from Naruto's vision, casting an eerie shadow. Naruto stared into Asuma's only eye, which was wide with shock. He looked into that eye for a few moments, before pulling his blade from the man's face. The Shinigami's body dropped, and the arrancar Uzumaki used the back of Asuma's shirt to wipe his sword clean of blood.

"Hecho." Over.

With that single word, Naruto left to change his clothes.

/

Rukia's eyes widened as she crawled along the floor, a bloody hole punched through her by an impostor.

"Asuma...n-no..."

She lost consciousness.

/

Orihime was on her knees as she felt two reiatsu signatures leave, moments apart. The second one was Rukia, she was sure of it. It was a slow fading, but a fading nonetheless. Then the images came. A blood stained Kuchiki Rukia, impaled upon a trident. Her eyes blurred with tears in no time.

The first signature, however, had ended in an instant. Just suddenly leaving a void.

"W-what's going on out there?" Orihime asked in horror.

"Oh, just business, Orihime-chan."

Her head snapped around to find one Uzumaki Naruto, buttoning up the front of his shirt. He no longer wore his priest outfit. Instead, he wore white button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, along with a red tie. He also wore a pair of black slacks, and a pair of shiny white shoes.

"Business...what do you mean by business?" Orihime asked, frightened.

Naruto smiled at her, and the girl visibly shivered.

"Quite simple, Orihime-chan. I killed an old acquaintance of mine, one Sarutobi Asuma."

Her eyes widened at the name. Shizune had talked about her old friend from her human life.

"So you know who he is. Well, as I said before, I killed him. Tore up my clothes, the bastard..."

He looked at her, and found that she was crying.

"Tears? Why—oh yes, that's right. Kuchiki Rukia is dead, and at the Novena Espada's hands. Man, that sucks. Aaroniero, while a bit creepy at times, was an okay guy to talk to. Oh well. What's done is done."

Orihime's tears flowed even further at the image of the impaled Kuchiki.

"Hm...it seems that you're in no condition for talking. I'll just leave you alone for now."

Naruto turned around, walking over to the door. He opened said door, and then closed it. However, just as it was about to fully close, something was spoken by Naruto.

"Ulquiorra has confronted Kurosaki."

Worry exploded in Orihime's heart.

**END**

/

(1)- Araikaze, Japanese for Wild Breeze.

(2)- Shukyou Araikaze: Primate Wild Breeze.

(3)- Bermellón Espiral: Spiral Vermilion

(4)- Sakari Oonami: Prime Surge.

The title means GUST!

Whoo boy, I liked that chapter. A good fight, and some reactions here and there. Not to mention the reveal of Naruto's Resurrección! Next chapter will be about Naruto just seeing what's going on. Also, somebody else is going to die!


	17. XVI Nicht Lang Jetzt

**Antagonist**

by Kalashnikov2092

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I also do not own Bleach.

Author's Musings: I seem to have gotten a lot of reviews bringing up their dislike of the long fights and Naruto's character. However, I've gotten more that support my story, and I would like to say thanks!! Thank you guys for still finding my story good enough to read.

So, this chapter is all about Naruto and his dealings with his friends in Las Noches. Like I said last time, there will be another death!!

**!!!ALERT!!!**

Some reviewers have asked me if I have a drawn version of Naruto's Resurrección. I'm afraid to say I don't. BUT, that is why I am putting up this alert! If anybody out there wants to draw Naruto's Resurrección for me and then post it on your Deviant Art page, or other artistic web site, go on ahead. Just send me a link in a review or personal message. The best will get their link posted on my page, and also get full credit for the piece. This will go on until July 11th.

**!!!ALERT!!! **

/////////

"The monster was the best friend I ever had." - Boris Karloff.

"I felt good...The war has just begun. This is the just first shot. I'll take it day by day and see what happens." - Tom Danielson

/////////

XVI: Nicht Lang Jetzt...

Ichigo's eyes widened as a hand was suddenly forced into the middle of his chest. Ichigo looked up into the freezing cold eyes of Ulquiorra Schiffer, the perpetrator of such a brutal act.

"Kurosaki Ichigo...you cannot defeat me. Even if you did defeat me, there are still three other Espada above my power, as well as El Santo. Even if you were to rise up a thousand times..."

Ulquiorra slid his hand out of Ichigo's chest, and the boy fell over.

"...there will be no victory. Not for any of you."

Ulquiorra stood there for a moment, blood dripping off the fingers of his left hand. A look of almost disappointment lingered on his melancholic face for a moment, but it disappeared quickly.

"It seems that I had been overestimating you, Kurosaki Ichigo. Your progress didn't reach my expectations. This is as far as you go."

Ulquiorra lingered for a moment longer, before beginning to walk away.

As he did, the Espada said, "If you can still move with your body like that, leave Las Noches as fast as possible. If that is not possible, then simply die in the place in which you reside now. Your journey ends here, Shinigami."

Ichigo's bankai diminished.

/////////

Naruto stopped walking. He raised an eyebrow and seemed to look off into the distance.

"It looks as though Ulquiorra has nearly killed you, eh Kurosaki? No surprise there. Now, will you truly die? Only time will tell, I guess. Hm. It seems that Szayel is still combating with his opponent. That Abarai will be dead soon enough. It looks like everything will be ready soon. I'm already gettin' excited!"

With that, a huge grin lit up Naruto's face. That last battle with Asuma had just whet his appetite for destruction. Aizen had recently given Naruto his mission for the upcoming battle. An all out strike on Seireitei will be quite amusing. Perhaps he will even get to fight Sasuke and Sakura? Oh yes, he couldn't wait.

He looked up and smiled as he saw a familiar face.

"Hey! Barragan! How's it going, old guy?"

The elderly Espada scowled at the younger arrancar.

"Hey, I'd watch your tongue. Keep it up and I'll whither you to dust..."

Naruto gave a bark of laughter, saying, "I wouldn't put it past you. So, what's your thoughts on what's been happening so far?"

Barragan frowned deeply at the question. "To tell you the truth, I'm a bit disappointed. All of these guys that came to Las Noches ain't even worth a fight. Ulquiorra defeated the strongest of them without even have to use his Resurrección! Not to mention you. You toy with you opponent forever, before striking him down like it was nothing! When will we get any Shinigami in here that can give us better sport?"

Naruto smirked at the old man's rant, saying, "Don't worry Barragan. When those captains arrive here in Las Noches, we'll make our move. Then you'll get to fight strong opponents. I promise."

Suddenly, the two arrancar's eyes widened.

"Did you feel that," Barragan asked.

Naruto scowled, saying, "Yeah. That was Grimmjow's cero. And it was used in Orihime's room. Dammit, I have an idea what that idiot is going to do. What an asshole! He could ruin everything!"

Barragan looked over at Naruto before he said, "Should we do something?"

Naruto suddenly grinned, and Barragan felt uncomfortable at it.

"No...you just go and relax. I'll sit back and see what happens. If I feel that the matter is in need of my interference, I will act as I see fit. Until then, I'm going to go see Cirucci. I haven't been able to be with her in the past couple of days."

Barragan nodded at the younger arrancar, and moved on. Naruto, however, stayed where he was for a few moments.

"You can come out, Tousen."

The dark-skinned man stepped out of the shadows, his blind eyes alight with interest.

"So you felt me, Uzumaki-san."

Naruto nodded, saying, "Indeed. I take it you've come here to talk."

Tousen gave his own nod.

"I see. Very well, I'll speak with you. However, let's go to my chambers first. It seems these clothes aren't as practical as I first thought."

"There's a reason the Espada and other arrancar wear what they do, Uzumaki-san."

Naruto chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you're right. They may look ridiculous at times, but when it comes to mobility, you can't argue. Perhaps I'll put on something similar."

"Shall we go?"

Naruto chuckled again. "Yes, yes, we'll get a move on."

/////////

Naruto stepped out of his bathroom, now garbed in his new arrancar attire. His casual look was gone, now replaced with the image more akin to an arrancar. He wore sandals exactly like the ones most of the Espada wore. He adorned a pair of white pants that were held up by a neon orange sash, his blade fastened on his left hip. His shirt was also white, a Chinese-style top with red stitching. He had taped up his hands, as well as tie a piece of black cloth around his forehead, much like his old shinobi headband, only without the metal plate. The cloth also helped keep Naruto's hair in check, it had been getting in his eyes lately. The cloth was pretty long, hanging down past his shoulders.

Naruto turned to Tousen, who was sitting on one of Naruto's many couches.

"So then, what exactly did you wish to talk about, Tousen?"

"I want to know how you are going to carry things out in the Seireitei."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Did Aizen send you? What's the matter, doesn't he trust me?"

"No, that isn't it at all. He simply wants to know what portions of the Seireitei will be in shambles, that way he will know what parts he can still use when he becomes King."

"Oh! I guess that makes sense. Hm...I guess the only parts that will be left will be the area around the walls. I intend to strike at the middle of the complex, the damage will spread out from there. That's pretty much it."

Tousen nodded at Naruto's explanation. He then frowned.

"There could be some resistance when you are in the middle of your mission."

Naruto chuckled. "Yes, that is to be expected. I will be attacking the Shinigami headquarters after all."

"Yes, that is true. However, there will be many powerful opponents that will try to stop you. Most of them will be old acquaintances from your past life."

Tousen expected Naruto to grow sombre at that, but was surprised when a smirk was displayed.

"Oh, that's the most exciting part! I get to fight all my old comrades. It should be a very fun battle. Very fun indeed..."

Tousen frowned, saying, "Do not take them lightly, Uzumaki-san. They hold many captain-class Shinigami amongst them. You will need to be careful if you want everything to go as planned."

"Tousen, Tousen, Tousen...have you so little faith in me? I understand that my old friends are now incredibly powerful Shinigami. However, their strength is nothing compared to mine. In fact, I have already killed or defeated four captain-class Shinigami, three of them using their bankai. I beat all of them without even having to truly use my Resurrección. So I have no doubts in my abilities. They will perish by my sword. So relax! Everything will be just fine!"

The traitorous Shinigami narrowed his eyes. "Naruto...I find you deplorable..."

The blond reacted like he usually did. A huge grin spread across his visage, a chuckle escaping his mouth.

"Oh, I understand this quite well, Kaname. But I don't hold it against you. Your is a path of justice. While mine is one of wanton destruction. We have conflicting ideals, all except for when it comes to Aizen. We are both very loyal to him. Other than that, I doubt we have anything more in common. Oh, wait! I know another! Me and you both hate Grimmjow!"

Tousen glared at the blond darkly. "I do not hate Grimmjow. I simply feel that he is unworthy of Aizen-sama. Just like you."

Naruto chuckled darkly at that.

"Me? Not worthy? I must say, you are quite wrong. I have proven my worth to Aizen time and time again. I helped him acquire the girl, I gained intelligence on the Kurosaki boy. I killed an intruder in Las Noches. All of these things have been for Aizen. I am not like Grimmjow. He uses Aizen as an excuse to fight. I use Aizen as my reason to fight. So if you wish to talk about worthiness, perhaps you should prove you own..."

Kaname glared heatedly at the blond arrancar. His hand was on his blade, ready to strike at any moment.

"...Or perhaps you have already proven yourself. I don't know much about your past. So then, if you are done with your questions, would you please leave? Cirucci has arrived."

The dark-skinned Shinigami gave Naruto one last glare, before turning and leaving. Cirucci walked through the door just in time to have Tousen brush past her. She raised an eyebrow at the upset man, but quickly brushed it off. She turned to Naruto and gave him a bright smile.

"Well look at you! All ready for battle. Just makes me want to jump you..."

Naruto grinned at his lover. "I'm afraid that we don't really have time for such things, I'm afraid. However, when this is all over, I can promise a victory fuck!"

Cirucci shook her head in amusement. "You're just too much sometimes. So, what was with Overseer Tousen being here?"

Naruto's grin faltered a little bit, and he said, "Oh. Yeah, he wanted to go over my plans for Soul Society. I told him what he wanted, and he left."

Cirucci frowned, saying, "No, there's more to it than that. He looked pretty angry at you. What kind of trouble did you cause this time?"

Naruto laughed a bit. "Not much. He simply stated his dislike for me, calling me unworthy to Aizen. I simply told him off. I guess he doesn't like losing an argument. Oh well, I could really care less. I just want to get on with the show already!!! It's gonna be a-"

Naruto's words died as he felt something strange in the distance. He seemed to glare at nobody in particular.

"Gran Rey Cero, Grimmjow? So you did get the woman to revive Ichigo. And now it seems you're battling him. I hope you get decapitated, you dumb ass. It would make my day even better than it already is..."

Cirucci raised an eyebrow at Naruto's vehement speech.

"Jeez, why do you hate Grimmjow so much? You seemed to like each other at first, but now you want to kill each other! What the hell happened?"

Naruto sighed and flopped down onto a couch. He looked up at the ceiling.

"Yes, at first, I thought Grimmjow was an okay guy. But then I saw his true agenda. He could care less about Aizen and his goal. He simply wants to kill, kill, kill. Don't get me wrong, I'm basically the same way, but not when it comes to my comrades. He nearly got all of his Fracción killed when he went behind Aizen's back to fight Ichigo. Granted, they are all dead now, thanks to Szayel and for the sake of 'science,' but they still held a great deal of respect for Grimmjow. And he used it to get the battle he wanted. I can't forgive that. He uses others as stepping stones on his quest for destruction. I would never do that. I would never cause destruction if it meant that the people I held dear are killed or wounded in the process...That is why you will not be accompanying me to Seireitei."

Cirucci's eyes widened, before become filled with anger.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean? I thought we agreed that we would fight together! That we would win together! Now you're just going to abandon me here, while you go and fight dangerous opponents?"

"Yes."

Anger consumed her then, she stepped forward, ready to slap him. However, she was stopped when his hand suddenly waved in front of her. She stumbled for a moment, before falling into unconsciousness. Naruto caught her as she began to fall.

He sighed as he looked at her. "Man, I'm gonna pay for this later, but it's necessary. I can't let you get hurt. So just rest awhile."

He took her over to his bed, tucking her in for the time being. He ran a hand through his blond locks, turning towards the door as he did so.

/////////

Apache jumped in surprise as Naruto appeared next to her, thanks to sonido.

"Naruto! What are you doing here," the female Fracción said.

Naruto did not turn to her. Instead, he looked off into the distance, where Ichigo and Grimmjow now did battle.

"Just here to say hi, as well as witness those two. I must say, they're really going at it."

"Ah, Naruto. So you've joined us," Halibel said. Beside her was Mila-Rose and Sun-Sun. Mila-Rose wave happily at the blond. Naruto returned the gesture.

Naruto turned back to the battle. "So, who's winning?"

Apache shrugged. "Well, Grimmjow has been forced to use his Resurrección, and that Shinigami is keeping up, if just barely. It's hard to tell who's winning..."

Naruto nodded, and Mila-Rose slung an arm over his shoulder.

"So, Naruto-kun, who do you think is gonna win this one? Grimmjow, or that strange Shinigami?"

Naruto looked on the battle, his eyes focused and calculating.

He closed his eyes, saying, "Ichigo will be the victor of this battle, I'm afraid. I can feel it. The Shinigami's strength is greater than Grimmjow's, even if it be by only a sliver."

Mila-Rose's eyes widened a little bit at the proclamation.

"Lose? But Grimmjow's and Espada! There's no way he could lose," Apache said indignantly.

Naruto turned his gaze to the girl, and she flinched. His eyes were very cold, almost like ice. _Is this what Naruto looks like when he's serious? Kami, it's like he is somebody else_, the arrancar though.

Naruto's face softened as he saw the hints of fear in her eyes.

"Sorry, Apache-chan. But the Espada aren't invincible. There are Shinigami out there that are stronger than some of the Espada. One of them is battling Grimmjow as we speak. But don't worry, his strength is nowhere as immense as any of the higher-ranking Espada. He's just barely stronger than Sexta, so any higher and he'd be nothing. Halibel would wipe the floor with him."

He finished his speech with a smile, immediately causing Apache to grin a bit as well. Naruto's smiles were quite infectious...

Their attention was brought back to the battle when the sky became alight with what looked like giant claws of energy. Naruto raised an eyebrow at the display.

"So, he's been forced to use Desgarón(1). It matters not. He will still lose. The fool's just delaying the inevitable," Naruto said with a sneer.

Halibel turned to her compatriot, saying, "You cannot blame him for trying to achieve victory."

Naruto suddenly pointed toward the battle, saying, "Look. It is going to come to an end soon."

One of the claws was suddenly slashed to nothing, courtesy of Kurosaki Ichigo. There was a pause, before the rest of the claws attacked. They could hear Grimmjow roaring in the distance. This sound was soon accompanied by the sound of his Desgarón being split in half by Ichigo's blade. They could see the black dot of Ichigo in the distance flying towards the floating Grimmjow. The two met, and there was a boom of reiatsu as Ichigo stabbed the Espada. There was a moment of silence, and then Ichigo's reiatsu dropped significantly. His Vaizard mask had crumbled. A second later, Grimmjow began to fall, but Ichigo reached out and caught him by the wrist.

Naruto sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Well, that's all she wrote, folks. Ichigo wins, just like I told you."

Halibel closed her eyes and turned to leave. Her Fracción quickly followed suit.

"Are you coming, Naruto?"

Naruto shook his head, looking off in the distance, to where Ichigo and Grimmjow were.

"No, I have something to take care of..."

/////////

Ichigo's eyes widened as he felt the presence of Grimmjow behind him. The Shinigami turned around to find a bloodied Grimmjow standing there, still in Resurrección. The Espada was breathing heavily, the wounds taking their toll.

"Grimmjow," Ichigo muttered in amazement. The orange haired teen quickly grabbed the hilt of Tensa Zangetsu, ready to do combat. However, this wasn't necessary, for Grimmjow's Resurrección faded right before his eyes. It simply left an unreleased Grimmjow standing there, a bloody mess with sword in hand.

He looked up at Ichigo, glaring. "Like I'd lose...no way...no way in hell...I'D EVER LOSE TO SOMEONE LIKE YOU!!"

The Sexta dashed at Ichigo, intent on continuing the battle. However, Ichigo would have none of it. The boy threw his blade away, grabbing Grimmjow's wrist, easily negating the attack.

He narrowed his eyes at the Espada, saying, "That's enough, goddammit! You've lost. I don't know whether you're a king or not, but crushing people who piss you off and being king all by yourself? Where's the enjoyment in that?! If I really piss you off that much, I'll fight you to your heart's content. But for now? Just stop already!!"

Grimmjow growled at the lecture, slapping Ichigo's hand away. He raised his sword again.

"Fuck you! You're--"

"Grimmjow. That's quite enough."

The Sexta Espada stopped dead in his tracks, looking behind him

"Naruto? What the fuck are you doing here?!"

The blond arrancar gave Grimmjow a frigid look.

"Me? I should ask the same thing. You freed the girl, revived Kurosaki, and then lost. I believe you've done wrong. Very wrong."

The blue haired arrancar snarled at his superior, shouting, "Shut up! I haven't lost! I'm nowhere finished!!"

Naruto's reaction was to stab Grimmjow right in the throat, all the way to his blade's hilt.

The Sexta's eyes widened in shock as blood gurgled up and out of his mouth. Naruto looked into Grimmjow's eyes, completely apathetic.

"Finished? Oh, I would have to say you're finished now. A blade in the neck, severing the spine in the process, leaves you _quite_ finished, Grimmjow."

Naruto pulled his sword from the Espada's throat, drawing a large freshet of blood in the process. Grimmjow stood there for a moment, before toppling over, dead. Naruto stared at his body for a moment, before he had to suddenly block a slash from Ichigo. He turned his attention to the Shinigami, face still apathetic. However, the boy's face was not emotionless. A pure look of fury captured Ichigo's face, and that fury was directed at him.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, asking, "What are you doing, boy?"

"That's my line! Why did you do that, kill your comrade? Why?!"

Naruto closed his eyes and chuckled.

"What's so funny," Ichigo asked angrily.

Naruto looked down at Grimmjow, and said, "Who ever said I considered that piece of shit a comrade?"

Ichigo's eyes became even more angry, and he raised his sword to strike again. However, Ichigo was caught by surprise when someone grabbed his arm to stop him. He turned around to find Orihime there, stopping him from attacking.

"Orihime? What are you doing," Ichigo asked in confusion.

She looked up at him, and he found that she was crying.

"Please, Kurosaki-kun! Don't fight him, he'll kill you!"

There was a bark of laughter from Naruto, and Ichigo glared at him.

"I'd listen to her, Ichigo. If you attempt to attack me, I will kill you. However, I'm also in a pretty good mood. So if you don't try and attack, I'll let you live, okay?"

Ichigo growled at the blond, but lowered his sword nonetheless. Naruto grinned at the act.

"Good, Kurosaki. It seems you value your life! As I said before, I'll let you live, for now."

El Santo Verdugo sheathed his sword, turning away as he did. He turned his back to them.

"I did say _I'd_ let you live. I never did mention Nnoitera..."

Naruto disappeared with a sonido, and Ichigo became aware of laughter from behind him.

Mad laughter.

**END**

/////////

(1)-- Desgarón, means shred in Spanish.

The title means "Not Long Now..." in German.

So, that's the end of this chapter. Pretty short, but the next couple will be very satisfying. Why? Because Naruto finally invades the Seireitei (yay!)! So yeah, it should be pretty cool. I'll see you guys next time.

**!!!ALERT!!!**

If you did not read this at the beginning of the chapter, here it is again! Some reviewers have asked me if I have a drawn version of Naruto's Resurrección. I'm afraid to say I don't. BUT, that is why I am putting up this alert! If anybody out there wants to draw Naruto's Resurrección for me and then post it on your Deviant Art page, or other artistic web site, go on ahead. Just send me a link in a review or personal message. The best will get their link posted on my page, and also get full credit for the piece. This will go on until July 11th.

**!!!ALERT!!! **


	18. XVII Cortez the Killer, Part 1

**Antagonist**

by Kalashnikov2092

Disclaimer: Naruto and Bleach. Don't own 'em.

Author's Musings: It's here!!! It's finally here! In this glorious chapter, Naruto will finally be invading Seireitei!!!!!!! So yeah, it'll be a blast. The next couple chaps will be nothing but Naruto battling his old comrades in the heart of Soul Society. There will be deaths, newly revealed zanpakutōs, and a newly revealed character. This will be fun to write, so don't be surprised if these chapters come out in quick succession.

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"Heaven just isn't hot enough."- Disturbed, _Prayer_

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XVII: Cortez the Killer, Part 1

Naruto was grinning.

Uzumaki Naruto was grinning as he looked into the portal in front of him. It had been specially made by Aizen when he had been in the Seireitei. It would transport him straight to a secret bunker under the 5th Division headquarters.

Naruto was practically shaking in excitement. This would be his greatest test so far, and he couldn't wait to prove himself once more. Not to mention there was the chance that Sasuke might be there. Oh yes, that would truly make his day! A chance to dish out some pain to that undeserving bastard. However, he wasn't going to kid himself. There are going to be very powerful Shinigami there. Especially the likes of Itachi and Jiraiya. So he would have to be a bit cautious.

"So, Naruto. Are you ready for the task at hand?"

The blond smirked and turned around. There stood his leader, Sosuke Aizen. The man had his ever-present calm smile on his face as he looked at his most powerful subordinate.

Naruto nodded, saying, "You bet I am! Finally, I get to get a good challenge for once! I must thank you for the opportunity, Aizen."

The powerful Shinigami gave a chuckle at the blond's enthusiasm.

"Very well. Do you wish to step in? Or is there any things you would like to do before you leave?"

Naruto stood there for a moment, contemplation dominating his features. Then, he shook his head, a malicious smile overtaking his visage. Aizen chuckled.

"Then you may proceed."

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Rin sighed as she swept the floor. She really hated when it was her turn on cleaning duty. Oh well, she really couldn't complain. Somebody had to clean up when Unohana-taichou and Lieutenant Isane were away. In fact, she was quite worried. Her two superiors were in Aizen's territory. This meant that they might run into Uzumaki...

Her worried thoughts were interrupted as two hands came up to cover her eyes. She giggled in amusement.

"So, can you guess who this is," a voice asked playfully.

Once again, Rin giggled, saying, "Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's...Obito?"

"Correct!"

Rin laughed as the hands spun her around to have her look at her husband. Her and Obito had been happily married for seven years now, and she couldn't have asked for a better husband. He was completely devoted to her, just like he had been back when they were kids.

Rin sighed in contentment as she looked at her lover. He was a little taller than her. She stood at 5'9", while Obito was 5'11". His scruffy black hair was kept very short, as was his black beard. He had to wear an eye patch over his left eye, due to the whole eye transplant thing with Kakashi.

"So then, Rin-chan, why are you in here sweeping the floor, when you could be out there with me?"

Rin sighed, saying, "Yeah, I got drawn for cleaning duty today. Just my luck..."

Obito chuckled. "Yeah, you're the one that usually gets stuck with--"

However, conversation was quickly ended when there was a massive reiatsu spike coming from the direction of the 5th Division barracks.

Obito's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What in the heck is this?"

He turned to his wife, only to find her staring off into the distance, fear clearly etched on her face.

"Rin? Hey, what's the matter?"

She turned to her lover, horror shining in her eyes.

"We need to warn the others! Right now!"

"Rin, what are you talking about? What's going on?"

"He's here, Obito. Uzumaki Naruto is in the Seireitei."

Obito growled, his one black eye turning to Sharingan red. Seeing this, Rin panicked.

"No! Obito, don't even think about going after him! You'll get killed! We need to get the others first!"

Obito shook his head. "No, you go get the others. I need to go stop this guy, or else there are going to be many dead. I have to. It's my duty as a Shinigami."

Rin's eyes welled up with tears. "Fine! go then! But if you die before we get there, I'll never forgive you! I lost you once, and it isn't going to happen again!"

Obito sighed and encircled Rin in his arms.

"Rin, I promise I'll stay alive. Just hurry, there are a lot of lives at stake here."

He kissed her then.

That was good.

It might be the last time the two could share such a beautiful thing.

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Naruto looked around the secret bunker, all while releasing his immense reiatsu. This was the moment he was waiting for. The battle he had been thirsting for ever since he had seen Sasuke as a Shinigami. The portal behind him quickly closed, and he smiled.

"Well then! I guess there's no time to lose!"

And with that, Naruto raised his hand above his head, firing a bright yellow cero.

Above, countless Shinigami from 5th Division were taken by surprise by the sudden "hollow flash," causing the deaths of dozens. Any that were within the radius of the beam were almost immediately atomized. The beam flew upwards, lighting the sky with its terrible brilliance. All who resided in the Seireitei witnessed the display of destruction, quickly moving in to find out what was happening.

Naruto gave a cackle of amusement as he leaped out of the bunker. The 5th Division barracks had been reduced to shambles, bodies laying about either wounded or dead. One wounded Shinigami near the blond began to crawl away, but was halted when Naruto's blade pierced his back and went through his heart. Naruto's sword left just as fast as it came, the blond looking for more opponents. Two Shinigami quickly dashed at him.

El Santo Verdugo grinned at the approaching foes, before disappearing. One Shinigami was taken by surprise when he found Naruto standing on his right shoulder. The Shinigami watched in terrible awe as the blond swung his blade at his other Shinigami companion. Naruto's slash easily cleaved off the Shinigami's face. Before the other Shinigami could scream in terror, a bala was launched into his head, caving his skull in. The two Shinigami fell at the same time, both dead.

Naruto turned around to find a group of a dozen Shinigami dashing at him, roaring in outrage. The blond smirked at the foolish act. He also dashed forward, much faster than any of the low level warriors. He struck the Shinigami in the lead, plowing his hand straight through the warrior's abdomen. Uzumaki's hand, sticking out of the Shinigami's back, then fired a cero at the other death gods. The group stood no chance, dying instantly.

The blond laughed madly as he pulled his arm out the Shinigami's body, before flying up into the sky. As he floated above the Seireitei, he saw all the Shinigami scrambling to take control of this madness. Naruto chuckled at their futile efforts. He then laid his eyes on his objective. The cliff that stood tall in the center of this place. The very same cliff that Kuchiki Rukia was nearly killed by Aizen's plans.

Not wasting time, the blond arrancar zoomed down to the cliff, excitement clearly overtaking his features. However, he was taken by surprise when a black blur flashed in front of him, delivering an admittedly powerful kick to his face. The blond went careening down, straight into the side of one of the Seireitei's many buildings. However, he was unhurt, his powerful hierro easily brushing off the attack. Sitting up, he looked up at his assailant. He was an Uchiha, that was for sure, but not Itachi or Sasuke. That was because this Uchiha had only one Sharingan eye, the other presumably lost, if the eye patch was any indicator. Naruto smirked at his new opponent, Uchiha Obito.

Naruto chortled, saying, "So you're Obito, Kakashi's old teammate. Hey there!"

However, Obito was nowhere as jubilant as Naruto was. Anger and disgust were etched across his face as he stared down at the blond.

"Save all of that friendly bullshit. I ain't here to pal around and try and gain back your humanity. I'm just here to annihilate you for what you did to Rin."

Naruto's smile became very sly. "Okay then, if you don't want to talk, then we won't. All I have to say is just release your zanpakutō. That's the only way you'll even be able to lay a finger on me."

Obito scoffed at the request. "I didn't have my zanpakutō released when I kicked you in your ugly mug. So obviously I don't need to use it yet."

Naruto could only shake his head in amusement. Then, he was gone, catching Obito by complete surprise. A split second later, Naruto delivered a brutal right hook to Obito's mouth. The man cried out in pain and stumbled backward. Naruto didn't let up, following his last attack with a zipping roundhouse kick to the Shinigami's face. Obito flew backwards from the force of the strike, smashing straight through the wall of a building.

The dark haired man recovered quickly, spring boarding to his feet. Naruto was there again, but Obito was prepared this time. The blond went for a jab with his left, but the one-eyed Uchiha ducked under the blow, grabbing Uzumaki's arm as he did so. Twisting a bit, Obito performed a textbook hakuda take-down, throwing Naruto over his shoulder. The blond was surprised at the counter and let out a huff of air as he hit the ground.

Obito still held on to Naruto's left arm as he stood above the blond. He then pulled up on Naruto's arm, before trying to stomp on the boy's left shoulder, in hope to either dislocate or break it. However, Naruto would have none of it. Naruto's other arm came up, blasting a bala point blank into Obito's right knee. The man cried out as his leg was blasted out from under him. He released the blond's arm so he could catch himself, freeing Naruto.

The arrancar cackled madly as he used sonido to appear above the falling Uchiha, planting a brutal double-footed stomp to his chest. The sound of wind being forcibly ejected from his lungs left Obito's mouth as he was driven into the ground by the attack. Blood flew out his mouth, and Naruto chuckled at his opponent's pain.

"So, you gonna use shikai now? 'Cause if you don't, I'm gonna scalp ya, just like that brown haired bitch."

Naruto smirked as he saw the fire ignite in Obito's eye. Naruto's smirk was wiped away when a kick smashed into his back, sending him flying away. Obito smiled in relief as he looked at another one of his old teammates.

"Thanks Kakashi, I needed that save. He was starting to really kick the shit out of me," Obito said as he got to his feet.

His masked compatriot nodded to him, but was not facing him. Instead, Hatake Kakashi looked to the building that Naruto had smashed into. While his kick had been strong, it had not been strong enough to smash the boy through the wall. Now, Naruto stood up, brushing dirt of his white clothing. Kakashi turned towards his old teammate.

"Obito, I overheard him talking about releasing your zanpakutō. I thin that you should do just that, for I'm about to use my own shikai."

Obito's eyes widened a bit at the proclamation. Kakashi was going to use shikai already? However, this was understandable. Kakashi might have been third seat, but his strength was easily that of a high lieutenant. And even at that level of strength, he was nowhere near as powerful as Uzumaki. So, he would have to use shikai if he even wanted to survive for a second in this fight.

Obito nodded, saying, "Alright, let's use it. The quicker this gets finished, the better."

Kakashi drew his sword, a normal length katana with a white hilt and pommel, with his guard in the shape of an eye. Obito took the time to draw his own blade, a wakizashi with a red and purple hilt, gold pommel, and a guard in the shape of a hexagon. Kakashi, after drawing his blade, balanced it on his palm, pommel-first. Obito held his own sword in a reverse grip in his left hand, drawing his hand pack like a punch. Obito's right hand came forward, completely open.

Kakashi closed his eyes, saying, "Envision, Rasuto Mokushi(1)."

Obito did a punch with the hand he held his blade in, crying, "Pulverize! Omoiyama(2)."

Both Shinigami were then covered in their own unique reiatsu. Kakashi's was a bright silver reiatsu that began to create almost like a dome around him, blocking him from sight. Obito's reiatsu was a dark purple, but was easily seen through. It came down like a pillar upon him, smashing the ground beneath him. Obito's sword glowed a bright purple color, before beginning to take shape of something else.

No longer did Obito wield a wakizashi. Instead, in his hands, there was a pair of nunchaku. It looked to be made of a raven-purple wood, with a golden chain connecting the two pieces. The pieces were each a foot long, and connected by a half-foot chain. The wooden pieces were tipped with a black metal ring on the end of each, and covered in gold studs.

When Kakashi's dome of reiatsu vanished, Naruto's eyes widened. Kakashi was no longer there! Instead, there was a sword lying on the ground. It was the Chinese dadao great sword. The blade of the sword was made out of a chrome-colored steel, and was decorated with the etching of a wolf about to pounce. The hilt was wrapped in a white cloth, and the ring that served as the pommel had a metal eye in the middle. However, as Naruto saw, nobody was wielding the sword.

Naruto turned his attention back to Obito, a smirk already forming on his face.

"Oh ho! Look at that, it seems that that lazy bum ditched you. Oh well, I'll hunt him down later."

Obito was not affected by Naruto's cynicism. He simply pulled his nunchaku taut, holding the weapon in front of him. He then proceeded to do the theatrical spinning of the nunchaku, the usual that you would see in a Bruce Lee movie. At the end, he stopped with having one piece in his right hand, the other tucked under his right arm. Naruto applauded the little act.

"Wow! Very entertaining! Now, are you going to use them one me, or just stand there flailing them wildly?"

Naruto was answered immediately, Obito disappearing with shunpo. Naruto's eyes widened at the speed displayed, drawing his sword just as fast. He brought it up to block, smirking as Obito appeared, already swinging his nunchaku. When the nunchaku met the flat of his blade, Naruto's smirk was wiped clean off. The force of the blow was absolutely astounding, enough to send Naruto the ground at once, creating an explosion of rubble.

Naruto growled as he pulled himself out of the large crater caused by Obito's attack. He scowled at the smirking Shinigami who stood on the edge of the crater.

"Not so cocky now, eh gaki? The power of Omoiyama did that quite well. You see, my zanpakutō's ability is to create ridiculous amounts of kinetic energy when it strikes. The result is getting hit with something that has the equivalent force of about four tons traveling at twenty miles-per-hour. Fun, eh?"

Naruto sneered at the Shinigami. "Not bad. However, my hierro can withstand a lot more than that. So you're gonna have to do better than that, you bastard."

Naruto then raised his left hand, a malicious smile lighting his features. The arrancar launched a cero exploded forth, traveling directly at the smirking Uchiha. Obito's smirk was not ended, as the Shinigami swung his nunchaku at the beam. The attack was batted away with ease. However, Naruto's smile didn't fade, either.

As he looked up at Obito, he said, "Whoever said that I was using a normal cero? Let me introduce you to Bifurcación Cero."

Obito's eyes widened as the ground beneath him exploded, and three more cero slammed into him. He managed to quickly smash one away, but the other two dug into him. They twisted, slamming him into a building. He cursed as the beams began to eat away at his flesh. He tried to get away, but was halted when two more beams smashed into the ones that were presently injuring him. The four beams combined for a second, before exploding fantastically.

Naruto nodded happily at the scene. That was, until, a sword slashed across his back. Naruto stumbled forward, but was uninjured. Once again, hierro came into play. He turned around, ready to find his opponent, but only found Kakashi's dadao floating in the air. Naruto's face twisted in confusion, before the sword slashed again. Naruto easily blocked the strike with his own sword. He jumped backwards, away from the sword. His face still read confusion, for he had no idea what was going on.

_Could this be Kakashi's shikai? The ability to control his sword without holding it? Or is it something else,_ Naruto thought.

Suddenly, what felt like a punch rocked Naruto's jaw. He shrugged it off, but once again, confusion took hold.

"What the fuck is going on!?"

As he said this, Obito suddenly appeared behind him, his clothes in tatters and his chest a bloody mess. The Uchiha slammed Naruto with another nunchaku strike, shooting Naruto away like a bullet.

Naruto stuck his foot out, catching the ground for a moment, and shooting him up into the air. He regained balance, before rebounding off a tall building. He moved back towards Obito, beginning to spin as he did so.

"Bermellón Espiral," cried the spinning Uzumaki.

An aura, colored a blood red, began to swirl around Naruto, before long red reiatsu spike emerged from the cyclone. Obito cursed, trying desperately to dodge the hail of spikes. As he was jumping backwards, one spike brushed against his shoulder. Obito cried out as a severe burning sensation enveloped his entire shoulder. He quickly used shunpo to escape the range of the spikes. He immediately checked his injured shoulder. The whole back of the body part was raw and bleeding.

Obito turned his attention back to Naruto, who was beginning to stop his spinning. As he did, the blond began to laugh in delight.

Finally stop spinning, Naruto cried out, "Man! That sure looked like it hurt! I wonder if that hurt as much as it did for Asuma?"

Obito's eye widened at that remark. Naruto had fought Asuma? It was well known that the lieutenant of 13th Division had accompanied Rukia and Renji to Hueco Mundo. But now this kid reveals that he had met Asuma in battle? What happened?

Anger quickly took hold of the Uchiha. "Where's Asuma?!"

Naruto gave the Shinigami a cruel smile. "Asuma? Oh, he's dead. A sword through your head is an injury that's quite impossible to survive."

Naruto's eyes widened as a kick smashed into his mouth. The boy went careening back down to earth, landing hard. However, he recovered quickly. He sprung back to his feet, searching for the assailant. However, his search was cut short as Kakashi's dadao returned with a flurry of slashes. Naruto was hard pressed to evade the strikes which came in quick succession. Having enough of it, Naruto countered with a bala.

The sword blocked the compact cero with the flat of its blade. The attack sent the blade flying backwards, smashing into a wall. Naruto's eyebrows raised at that. The sword had made an indentation in the wall as though someone had been holding. Naruto then had to dodge a nunchaku swing directed at his face. The blond cursed as he spun away from Obito. The one-eyed Uchiha quickly followed his opponent, a combination of nunchaku swings keeping Naruto at a distance.

Naruto growled in annoyance. He was getting tired of this guy. It was about time to stop pulling his punches. As Obito pulled his arm back to swing his nunchaku again, Naruto struck without mercy. His blade flashed forward, landing a horizontal cleave across the Uchiha's stomach. Obito's eye widened as blood sprayed from the gaping wound. As he began to stumble back, Naruto struck again, his hand goring Obito's right shoulder. The man cried out as Naruto's hand easily pierced flesh and muscle.

Naruto wrenched his hand out of the man's shoulder, and the one-eyed Uchiha fell to his knees. Naruto sneered at the man.

"I must admit. You surprised for a bit there. However, you are not yet on my level. So, you will die. I believe I'll give you Rin's treatment. Only this time, nobody will bring you back to life. So farewell, Uchiha."

Naruto's blade made a beeline for the top portion of Obito's skull. Obito grit his teeth. He had failed, both himself and Rin.

_I'm sorry, Rin-chan. It looks like I couldn't keep your promise. You lose me again. I'm...sorry._

Obito closed his eyes. He had truly failed.

_**CLANG!!**_

Or, he would have failed, if a sword wouldn't have blocked Naruto's at the last second.

There was an amused chuckle.

"Obito-kun, it seems that you are in a bit of trouble. Would you like my assistance?"

Naruto's eyes widened at the newcomer. "You!? You're a Shinigami too!? Oh come on!!! Do they let anyone go to heaven!!?"

The newcomer chuckled at the blond's outburst. "Oh, what's the matter Naruto-kun? Not happy to see an old face? Ku ku ku ku ku ku!"

**END**

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(1)-- Rasuto Mokushi: means "Last Sight." Dadao. Abilities not yet known.

(2)-- Omoiyama: means "Heavy Mountain." Nunchaku. Puts unbelievable amounts of kinetic energy behind the strikes of this weapon.

So yeah, this is the first chapter in the "Cortez the Killer" arc. I'm not sure how many others there will be, but they will be longer than this one, as well as have a lot more battles and characters. I also hope you like the new character I added at the end there. Ku ku ku ku ku!!


	19. XVIII Cortez the Killer, Part 2

**Antagonist**

by Kalashnikov2092

Disclaimer: I have no ownership of Naruto or Bleach. So don't sue me. I like my money.

Author's Musings: I got a lot of good reactions from the last chapter, most of them being about Orochimaru. So, to answer the very obvious question, YES, Orochimaru is indeed the character revealed at the end. This chapter will be about Naruto's battle with Orochimaru, Obito, and Kakashi. So, enjoy!

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"Light and Dark are two sides of the same coin. One cannot live without the other." - Midna

"He bothers me. Shall I kill him?" - Hoshigaki Kisame

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XVIII: Cortez the Killer, Part 2

Naruto growled angrily at the pale Shinigami that stood before him. Orochimaru, the same Orochimaru that had caused war, experimented on innocents, and caused the death of hundreds, had gone to "heaven." Once again, Naruto was shown how absolutely unfair things had gone for him. So, he decided to take his frustrations out on the snake.

Orochimaru leaped backwards to dodge a bala, drawing his blade as he did so. It was a normal length katana, with a yellow and green hilt, a black pommel, and a guard in the shape of a double-pointed arrow. As he drew the weapon he immediately began releasing his shikai.

Licking the length of the blade, Orochimaru cried, "Dissect, Kiijinchi (1)!!!"

Orochimaru's katana suddenly disintegrated into glowing dust, which then began to cling to his body. Orochimaru himself began to glow as well, before being consumed by a flash of light. Naruto sneered, clearly unimpressed. He could care less about what Orochimaru was going to reveal, he just wanted to kill the bastard.

When the light faded, Orochimaru's shikai was revealed. His black Shinigami garb was now gone, now replaced with a black lab coat. Protruding from the Sannin's back were new appendages, six to be exact. They were like arms, but covered in green scales. Each were tipped with a weapon. Two of the appendages came from the back of his shoulders, and were tipped the heads of cobras. Two other arms came from the back of his ribs, and were tipped with meat hooks. The last two appendages were like two tentacles, which came from the small of his back. Each was tipped with a bright yellow needle that oozed a purple liquid, probably poison. These tentacles actually acted like new, longer legs, raising him up into the air and extra six feet. In Orochimaru's left hand was a scalpel, while in his right was a a katana with a serrated edge, much like a hacksaw.

Naruto scowled at the former Sannin in disgust. "Should have known that a sick bastard like you would have a zanpakutō like this. It fits you abilities to experiment and fight all in one. So, are you gonna sit there, grossing me out, or are you gonna fight?"

The pale Shinigami chuckled at the blond arrancar. "Still as unrefined as ever Naruto-kun. Your speech is just as petty as it was when you were alive. However, I will begin to fight. Come, show me how much you've improved."

Naruto smirked. He was happy to oblige.

The blond easily vanished with sonido, catching Orochimaru by surprise. The pale man was sent flying away as two bala slammed into his chest. He sneered as he used his tentacles to drag him to a stop. Naruto was on him at once, blade raised back to slash. The two meat hook appendages came forward and blocked the strike just in time. Orochimaru was still pushed back, however. The Shinigami quickly struck back with his two cobra heads. Seeing this, Naruto grabbed the first cobra by the neck, while twisting away from the second.

Now behind Orochimaru, Naruto grinned violently as he delivered a jarring punch to the back of the man's head. Orochimaru grunted and leaned forward. Naruto then somersaulted over the Sannin's head, delivering a vicious heel kick to Orochimaru's face. The Shinigami was sent flying away, a new bloody nose coloring his face. Naruto quickly took after the Sannin, eager to dish out more damage.

As Orochimaru skidded to halt, his cobra heads opened their mouths. The pale man smirked, before a mass of snakes flooded out of the cobras' mouths. Naruto also stopped his progress, already shoving his hand forward at the conglomerate of slithering creatures.

"Cero Cascada!"

The bright yellow wave of liquefied cero gushed forward, drowning the approaching snakes. The lizards were dissolved almost immediately, leaving Orochimaru astounded. However, the Sannin's surprise vanished soon enough.

He raised his hand up, shouting, "Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring! Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle! Hado Number 63: Raikōhō(2)!"

Lightning crackled around Orochimaru's palm for a second, before expanding exponentially. A massive blast of gold electricity exploded at Naruto, intent on completely annihilating him. However, Naruto just smirked.

He raised his hands, saying, "Impressive! However, there's a little something in my arsenal that is far stronger...witness it. Taladrador del Cero(3)!"

Naruto's hands glowed orange for a second, and then a huge blast of energy flew forth. It was an orange cero that looked much like a bolt of lightning, but much larger. The tip of the bolt had almost like spearhead to it. The bolt met Orochimaru's kidō, before punching right through it. The kidō exploded as it was pierced clean through by Naruto's newly unveiled cero. Said cero kept traveling forward, right at Orochimaru. The man cursed and hurriedly leaped away from the attack. He just barely dodged the bolt, but watched in awe at the after affect. The bolt smashed into the building behind him, piercing clean through. The bolt continued to travel forward, piercing through dozens of buildings until it exploded extravagantly.

Naruto smirked at the destruction. "As you can see, my Taladrador del Cero easily dwarfs the power of your shitty little spell. You see, the Taladrador del Cero is a combination of bala and cero. If you paid close attention, you would have seen that the beam I launched was much faster than a normal cero. I simply begin forming the normal bala, attaching a cero to the back of it when the reiatsu is still just barely bendable. When I launch it, the bala pulls the cero behind it, and the two gradually combine into one attack. So, you have the power of my cero combined with the speed of my bala. Ingenious, no?"

Orochimaru scoffed at the explanation. "So you've simply created a much faster cero. I am not impressed. I dodged it easy enough. I admit, it was more powerful than my kidō, but I still have much more to offer. So why don't we stop playing around, and you use the sword release I have read about in the arrancar reports?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the speech. "You wish for me to go all out? Interesting. However,the power you have displayed isn't enough to warrant the use of my Resurrección. It will take much more for me to use _that_. Hell, I still have some questions that need to be answered before you die. So no, I'm not going to stop holding back. It's unnecessary at the moment."

Orochimaru chuckled, asking, "You have questions to ask me? Well go on, ask. I always enjoy a good talk with the person I'm about to kill."

Naruto brushed the last comment aside, saying, "Alright. The question is simple enough. How the hell did you not go to...er...hell?"

Orochimaru smiled at the question. "Oh, is it so hard to believe that I repented my sins at the last moment before I died?"

"Yes. Yes it is," Naruto said, an are-you-shitting-me look directed at the pale man.

Orochimaru chuckled. "Okay then. The truth is that the person who performed my soul burial found interest in me. We shared many interests."

"Oh? And who would that be?"

Orochimaru's grin returned. "The same man who is now my taichou. Kurotsuchi Mayuri-san."

Naruto scowled at the name. "So that freak let you go to heaven. No surprise there. Now that you mention it, you two are quite alike. Men of "science," if you will. So you are in 12th Division? What seat?"

Orochimaru pointed to the badge on his left shoulder, showing that he was 3rd seat.

"I should be lieutenant, but Mayuri-san would rather have his "daughter" Nemu have the position. A bit biased, but understandable. Though I still think I would be better suited..."

Naruto smirked as he raised his eyebrow. "Is that a little jealousy I hear in your voice?"

Orochimaru frowned, saying, "Certainly not. I just know that the extent of my abilities far surpass the likes of Kurotsuchi Nemu."

Naruto shrugged. "You can't win them all. Well, you can if you're me. Here, I'll prove it by killing you!"

Orochimaru was caught flat footed as Naruto was suddenly in front of him, fist already burying itself in the pale man's stomach. The Sannin wheezed as he was sent tumbling away. Naruto wasn't done yet, holding up his hands again.

"Taladrador del Cero!"

The lightning-like blast of reiatsu flashed forward, intent on punching through its pale target. Orochimaru cursed at seeing the attack again, and quickly used shunpo to evade the devastating cero. Orochimaru appeared behind Naruto, his serrated katana ready to tear into the boy's back. The blond simply used sonido to appear behind Orochimaru this time, his red blade ready to sink into the snake-like Shinigami's back. The pale man was ready, however, striking with his two cobra heads. They each spat a stream of purple liquid. Naruto leaned backwards, dodging the expulsion of poison, all while lashing out with a dropkick to the small of Orochimaru's back. The Sannin cried out and was sent crashing into the ground.

He recovered quickly, using his tentacles to push himself up. He sneered and turned back to the arrancar. The two cobra heads opened their mouths, and a blade emerged from each. Now each cobra head was also tipped with sword-length blades. The appendages then extended, flying straight at Naruto. The blond blocked one tip of a blade with the flat of his own weapon, before blasting away the other cobra with a cero. The appendage was blown clean off by the beam.

Naruto's empty hand came up, and with a quick flourish, cut the other snake in half with a quick Carnicero. Orochimaru sneered, pulling back his ruined appendages. However, the sneer turned into a smirk as the appendages began to regenerate their cobra heads. Naruto frowned at the display. So his zanpakutō could be mended...

"A very interesting ability for you sword to have. Unfortunately, it does not change a thing. I will still destroy you. The next attack should enlighten you. Cero Vivo(4)."

Orochimaru grew cautious at the announcement of another new cero. Then this caution became amazement as a red aura began to pull away from Naruto.

Turning into a clone of the boy.

The clone was an exact replica of Naruto, only with orange hair and eyes.

"What is this," cried Orochimaru.

Naruto smirked down at his opponent. "This, my friend, is my replacement for Kage Bunshin. Hope you like it!"

The clone suddenly shot down at Orochimaru, and the Sannin immediately struck out. His meat hooks moved forward, surprisingly goring the clone in the stomach. The clone showed no emotion as it was destroyed by Orochimaru. The man was actually a bit surprised at how easily the clone had been defeated.

And then the clone exploded in a flash of yellow, a cero engulfing Orochimaru.

Naruto laughed heartily at the event. "You obviously didn't look into the name! It's called Cero Vivo, a "Living Cero!" Even though it was a clone, it was still a cero. Oh well, your loss."

The smoke from the explosion faded away, revealing a beaten up Orochimaru. The chest of his lab coat had been blow away, and a large portion of the man's chest was raw and bleeding. Raising an eyebrow at the lack of fatal wounds, Naruto discovered why the man was able to evade serious injuries. He saw that Orochimaru's tentacles had been blown clean off. It seemed that he had used them as some kind of defense at the last second. Naruto applauded.

"Bravo! Well done! You were able to use those tentacles for something other than a hentai-related topic!"

"Hey asshole. You forgot that you were fighting more than one Shinigami."

A jarring strike smashed into the side of Naruto's head, sending the boy flying into the ground. Quickly getting to his feet, he looked up to find Uchiha Obito, patched up and ready to go. He had wrapped up the injuries on his stomach and shoulder using the bottom of his pant legs. Naruto frowned at the man.

"I'll give that one to you. I shouldn't have got carried away with that snake bastard, forgetting about you and Kakashi in the process. Speaking of Kakashi..."

Naruto spun around blocking a strike from the seemingly floating dadao that was Kakashi's zanpakutō. He sneered, and punched thin air. Only, it wasn't thin air. His fist made contact with something, and there was a grunt from whatever he hit. The sword went flying backwards, into the dirt. As the dirt dusted, the wielder of the sword was made apparent. Though the outline was vague, it was clearly Kakashi.

"A zanpakutō that makes you invisible? Cool, I must admit, but not good enough. Once I started using my nose, the jig was up." Naruto pointed to his nose for emphasis. Seeing that his cover was blown, Kakashi let his invisibility fade.

He stood up, brushing the dirt off of himself. "Hello, Naruto. Been awhile, hasn't it?"

Naruto sneered at his former sensei. "Yeah, whatever, you lazy shit. Let's just get back to the fighting."

"No, that's not how this is going to happen. I would actually like to talk to you."

The blond scoffed. "Talk? What's with you guys wanting to talk? It doesn't change a thing. I'm still gonna kill you. You could ask Rin that." Naruto grinned a bit as heard Obito growl at the woman's mentioning.

However, Kakashi wasn't deterred. "No, we're going to talk. Right now."

Naruto sighed in exasperation, but relented. "Fine, what do you want?"

"For starters, why did you kill Asuma?"

The boy scoffed, saying, "What are you, stupid? I killed him because he broke into Las Noches. It's my job as El Santo Verdugo to kill anyone who dared invade Aizen's castle."

Kakashi clenched his fists. "He was once your friend!"

"The key word being 'once.' He was 'once' my friend. That was no longer the case. I am now a hollow, and he, Shinigami. Regardless of any past relationships, we have to kill each other. That's how it goes. Shinigami and hollows have been at war for forever. And it won't be changing any time soon."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at his former pupil. "Naruto...how did you become a hollow? Was it the Kyuubi?"

"An easy scapegoat, but no, it was not the fox. Do you want to know the real reason I became a hollow? How it came to be that someone so pure could become so tainted? I'll give you a hint: it has pink hair and an undying devotion to a friend of Orochimaru's..."

Kakashi's eyes, both black and Sharingan red, widened at the revelation. "Sakura? But...but how? What did she do?"

Naruto smiled grimly. "Do you know how it feels? To have the person you're fighting so hard for yell at your corpse? For her to say that is was your fault for taking away the people she knew? To have her to spite me for killing the person who sought to kill her? Can you even imagine the anger that could take hold of your soul? I died in vain, Kakashi. I died for nothing. Nothing but a bunch of idiots that would have killed me themselves, if they were able to. That's the real reason I became a hollow, and it's the reason I'm here now. Yes, this is a mission from Aizen, but it is also an opportunity to kill both Sasuke and Sakura."

Kakashi stared into the unflinching crimson eyes of Uzumaki Naruto. He saw it all, the hurt, the betrayal, the anger...it was all there.

"Naruto...I know that things ended horribly for you. But you can't let those feeling consume you! You can still redeem yourself. Break away from Aizen, help us fight him. You can have it all back, your friends, the acceptance, all of it. Just stop this madness!"

Naruto's face became completely cold at the Shinigami's words. He tilted his head a bit.

"Don't let these things consume me? Idiot, they are what created me. Those emotions turned me into a hollow, and I basked in them. I can't reject those feelings even if I wanted to. They are the core of what I am now. As for your little proposition, you can stuff it. I could care less about my old friends, I got new ones now. Not to mention a woman who loves me for what I am. I think I'll stick with them."

Kakashi closed his eyes. "Very well. I guess there's no point in talking, now."

Naruto scowled at his old sensei. "No, I guess not. Let's just finish this. I don't want to keep the rest of Team 7 waiting, now do I?"

Kakashi glared at his old student. While he didn't really like Sasuke and Sakura, they were still comrades. And Hatake Kakashi protected his comrades.

"You pointed out that my zanpakutō turns me invisible. That is correct. However, it isn't the only ability my blade possesses. Invisibility is its defensive technique. Now, let me show you Rasuto Mokushi's offense!" Kakashi raised his empty hand up at Naruto. The blond noted that there was a glowing mark on the man's hand, in the shape of an open eye.

"Shokkingu Vijon(5)!"

The eye mark on Kakashi's hand glowed for a split second, before shooting a pencil-thin beam of silver light at the blond. Reacting quickly, Naruto brought up his sword, blocking the beam. However, there was no force behind the attack. Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion, for he had expected an explosion, or at least something that hurt.

He looked at the part of the blade he had blocked with. He narrowed his eyes at the sight of of the same marking that was on Kakashi's hand. It was now imprinted on his sword.

"What's this?"

Kakashi smirked under his mask. "That, Naruto, is my offense."

A second later, a bolt of silver lightning fell from the sky, hitting Naruto's blade. The sword easily conducted the electricity, and shot it throughout Naruto's body. The blond's grip tightened, and his body became completely stiff. He let out a sort of yell through his clenched teeth. Then, his body loosened, and he stumbled backwards, panting.

He glared at Kakashi, yelling, "What the fuck was that?"

Kakashi gave his signature eye smile as he said, "That, Naruto, was Shokkingu Vijon, my zanpakutō's offensive attack. I tag you with my sword's mark, and this mark attracts lightning from the sky. You tried to block it with your sword, making it the target for the lightning strike. It would have been better if you would have just let it hit your body instead of your sword. The electric current wouldn't have lasted as long."

Naruto growled at the older man. "Alright, not bad. But I ain't dead yet. You still have a while to go before killing me!"

The blond zipped forward, blade ready. Kakashi stuck his palm out again, launching another silver beam at Naruto. However, the boy wasn't going to let that happen again. He used sonido, easily evading the mark. He appeared, not behind Kakashi, but behind Obito. Before the man could react, Naruto kicked him in the back.

Which sent the Uchiha straight into Kakashi's beam.

The silver haired man's eyes widened. He had no way of getting rid of the mark other than it being struck by lightning. Obito, also knowing this, cursed.

"Shit, this is gonna suck..."

And indeed it did. For a second later, another bolt of lightning crashed down, hitting the mark on Obito's body, on his right thigh. The man cried out as electricity coursed through him, begin to fry him. However, it was over soon enough, stopping him from sustaining any serious injuries. However, his right leg was almost completely numb, making it hard to move. Obito cursed when Naruto appeared a split second later.

The blond hammered Obito with a quick kick to the chin, snapping the man's head back violently. He stumbled a bit, before a roundhouse kick landed against the left side of his face. He cried out as he was knocked off his feet by the blow. Kakashi came to help soon after, trying to slash at Naruto's neck. He was in for a surprise when Naruto did not attempt to block or evade the slash. The sword met Naruto's throat, and was stopped dead in its tracks. Kakashi's eyes widened at the feat. In fact, not only had Naruto's neck stop his blade, it had chipped the blade some.

"What are you," Kakashi asked in awe. Naruto turned to the man, a malicious grin spread across his face.

"Me? I'm the Diablo!"

Kakashi gave a hacking cough as Naruto's hand plowed into his chest, slipping past skin and bone, to find one of the man's lungs. Kakashi coughed violently as Naruto gently groped his lung. Blood flew out of his mouth as he began hacking.

"Painful, ain't it," Naruto asked as he pulled his hand out of Kakashi's ribcage. The man fell to his knees hacking up globs of blood. As he was on his knees, Naruto kicked him in the face, sending him sprawling.

Naruto spun, dodging Orochimaru's serrated katana. He cursed and jumped away as Orochimaru's cobras spat their venom again. As he was jumping backwards, Obito appeared above him with a shunpo. Naruto quickly crossed his arms in defense of the nunchaku strike directed at his ribs. The blond was smashed into the ground by the powerful swing, but recovered easily.

Obito fell upon him, already going for another nunchaku strike. However, Naruto slammed a bala into the man's injured stomach, sending him flying away. The blond arrancar rolled to his left, evading the regrown tentacles of Orochimaru. The tentacles squirmed after him, trying to stab him with their poisoned needles. Using sonido, Uzumaki escaped the venomous appendages, and reappeared next to Orochimaru. The man tried to slash at Naruto's eyes with his scalpel, but the blond grabbed his wrist and twisted it.

The Sannin hissed, releasing the surgical tool. Naruto then pulled the pale man forward, delivering a powerful head butt to the man's chest. Orochimaru let out a huff of pain before falling over. Naruto stepped on the man's neck.

With a grin, Naruto exclaimed, "Yeah! I just Zidaned your ass!"

He was knocked away a moment later, Obito's nunchaku smashing into his left shoulder. The blond went soaring into the side of a building, breaking clean through the wall. There were screams of shock as he burst through. Looking around, Naruto found that he was surrounded by low-level Shinigami. Red aura covering him, he soon created a clone with Cero Vivo. As he used sonido to return to battle, the clone exploded, killing all the Shinigami in the room.

Naruto appeared above Obito, grabbing the Uchiha by the hair. The Shinigami cried out as he was hefted up by his black locks. Still holding onto Obito's hair, Naruto punched the man straight in the face. The blow was hard enough to wrench the man's hair from Naruto's grip. Obito smashed into the ground, vision swimming. Naruto cackled as he stuck his hand forward, ready to fire off another cero.

However, there was a flash from his left, and he looked to find Kakashi standing, albeit a little shakily. The man had used his lightning mark.

Which had marked Naruto right above his left ear.

A bolt of lightning flashed down, striking Naruto in the side of the head. The three Shinigami stopped as they watched the bolt make contact. Naruto's body clenched up, before his eyes rolled into the back of his head. He fell over, the left side of his face blackened with heat.

"Did...did we kill him," Obito asked.

Kakashi frowned. Did they really want to take that chance? If Naruto wasn't dead, risking checking on his body could be fatal...

"Tch! Stop being so foolish. Of course he isn't dead! Kakashi, hit him with your attack again," Orochimaru drawled.

Kakashi, seeing the logic, pointed his palm at Naruto, his mark already glowing.

"Shokkingu Vijon."

The beam of light shot at Naruto's still body, and struck it dead on. Kakashi sighed in relief as Naruto did not move. The bolt of lightning began to fall from the sky.

And, just as the bolt was about to hit him, Naruto's body simply faded away.

Kakashi's eyes widened as blade jutted out of the center of his chest. Turning around, he found that Naruto was the culprit. He could faintly hear Obito yell his name from a distance, but the only thing he could focus on was the satisfied smile on Naruto's face.

"Well, Kakashi-sensei, it was fun. Your zanpakutō was pretty neat, but I catch on quick. You forced me to use the faster sonido, one that actually leaves behind afterimages. I commend you for this. But alas, you have still lost. May you find eternal peace, beyond this place. And.......thank you. For being a good sensei."

A cero removed Kakashi's head.

/////////

Obito watched on in horror as his best friend in the world was killed. Killed by Uzumaki Naruto.

"You bastard," Obito muttered in disbelief.

Naruto turned to his two remaining opponents, his face stony.

"YOU BASTARD!!!!"

Obito pulled his nunchaku taut in front of him. This bastard....this bastard would pay the ultimate price!

"BANKAI!!!!!"

Reiatsu practically destroyed parts of buildings around Obito. Naruto raised and eyebrow in interest. So the Uchiha knew bankai? Perhaps things were going to get more interesting...

Obito roared as he felt power renew his tired body. His muscles clenched in anticipation for this. He was going to beat this son of a bitch to a bloody pulp. He felt his new weapon form in his hands, and readied himself. This was no longer a battle for the Seireitei. This was a battle for revenge, on both sides.

"Gouzen Omoiyama (6)!!!!!"

Naruto's eyebrows raised at the new form of his opponent's zanpakutō. It was no longer a pair of nunchaku. No, this was something completely different. Held in Uchiha Obito's hands was a hammer. Most likely the biggest hammer Naruto had ever seen. The whole weapon, in full length, was about six feet long, with a four foot handle. The handle was made out of a dark purple wood, and was wrapped in a black cloth for a grip. The head of the hammer was a rectangular prism with the dimensions of 2 by 3 by 2. It was made out of stone, and on the faces of the hammer were the Uchiha clan symbol.

Obito pointed the massive weapon at Naruto.

"I'm going to kill you."

Naruto grinned at the man. "Oh really? Show me, how are you gonna kill me, hm?"

Obito raised the hammer high above his head, and brought it down. The had of the hammer smashing into the ground. The ground in front of him split, gigantic pieces of rock jutting out of the earth. This created a trail of rocks that traveled towards Naruto. As the trail finally met Naruto, a huge spike of stone smashed out of the ground and straight into Naruto's chest.

The blond cried out as he was smashed away, and straight through a building. Not through the building's wall, but straight through it! His body stopped traveling when it made contact with Obito's hammer. Naruto cried out as the massive pressure slammed into his body. He was sent sailing into the ground.

Before going right through it.

His eyes widened as he came into a new area, a massive cavern, that was somehow lit quite well.

"What the hell is this," Naruto asked no one in particular.

He met the ground hard, knocking the wind out of him. He gingerly got to his feet, his body aching a bit. There was a roar, and Naruto looked up. Obito had jumped through the hole that Naruto's body had made. Naruto raised both of his hands at the man.

"Taladrador del Cero!"

The cero went shooting at the falling Obito, who raised his hammer above his head. Just as the bolt was about to hit him, Obito hit the head of the attack with his hammer. There was a massive explosion as the two mighty attacks met, and Naruto did not wait to see the outcome. The red aura appeared again, and a dozen clones were made from Cero Vivo.

The clones all raised their hands at the same time, as did the real Naruto.

"Taladrador del Cero," all the Naruto's yelled. The group all launched their own Taladrador del Cero, straight at the cloud caused by the previous explosion. Just as the attack were about to enter the smoke, the ceiling began to fall, blocking the beams with a rain of boulders. The explosions blinded the entire cave with bright light. The Naruto clones, having used up their reiatsu, faded from existence.

Naruto jumped backwards, dodging a swing by Obito, fresh from a shunpo. He growled at the man, launching a hail of bala. Obito stomped his foot, and a wall of earth rose to block the flurry of bala. Naruto cursed and jumped back again as a mass of rock spikes rose up beneath him. The blond quickly bounded off a wall of the cavern. He traveled right back at the angry Uchiha, ready to dish out some pain.

Obito went for a swing at Naruto with his hammer. The hammer made contact, but then passed clean through.

An afterimage.

Naruto's hand closed over Obito's face, before slamming the man head-first into the ground. His other hand reared back to deliver a punch, but a rock suddenly jutted out of the ground, smashing Naruto in the face. The boy was tossed off the Shinigami, who then got up. Obito slammed his hammer into Naruto's stomach, flinging him across the cavern. He disappeared with sonido, quickly returning to Obito.

The man tried to hit Naruto with his hammer again, but he ducked under the massive bludgeon. He lashed out with a punch to Obito's stomach. To add even more damage, he launched a bala directly after his fist made contact. Obito doubled over, air robbed from his lungs. Naruto's knee came up, pulverizing the Uchiha's chin. Obito winced as he felt some of his teeth chip. Obito used a quick shunpo to escape Naruto's range, before slamming his hammer into the ground.

The ground under Naruto exploded, spikes of rock slamming into his body. The arrancar used sonido to escape most of the attack, however, he was hurting. There was a cut on his left elbow, and his middle finger on his right hand was missing a nail. He shrugged the minor wounds off, before turning back to an approaching Obito. Naruto sneered at his foe, before raising his hand.

"Carnicero."

A cero, compressed into a blade, shot at the Uchiha. Obito swung his hammer down at the attack.

Where the head of his hammer was cleaved in two.

Obito's eyes widened as his hammer fell to pieces. He looked back at Naruto, and was met with a fist to the face. The Shinigami cried out and stumbled backwards. Naruto followed up with a thrusting kick into the man's chest. Obito went tumbling backwards.

Naruto smirked at his downed opponent. "So! What are you gonna do now that your hammer's for shit? Wave the stick at me?"

Obito got back to his feet, a scowl across his bloody face. "That was a stupid thing to say. Now you're going to feel like an ass when I do this!"

Obito then jammed the end of his hammer handle into the ground. There was a rumbling, and when Obito pulled his handle back, it now had a new head, obviously created by the earth bellow him.

Naruto frowned. "Yeah, you're right. I do feel like an ass."

He was hit the chest with Obito's hammer a second later, shooting him away. The blond once again used sonido to send himself in the opposite direction, slamming shoulder-first into Obito's chest. The man cried out and was sent sprawling. Naruto, however, landed on all fours, laughing as he did so. Obito gritted his teeth and pounded the ground. The blond arrancar jumped away as a rock spike punched through the ground beneath him.

The blond floated in the air, a sly smile on his face."Jeez! Is this all you've got!? I've been staying on par with you the entire time! Is this the power of a captain-class Shinigami!? I sure hope not!!!!!"

Obito scowled at the arrancar. "You're taunting me? From what I've seen, I've been kicking your ass all over this place. Yeah, you've managed to land some pretty good ones on me, but I still believe I have the higher damage count."

Out of nowhere, Naruto gave Obito a sympathetic look. "So you haven't noticed it yet, even with your Sharingan eyes. Here, take a closer look." Naruto brought his right hand up, showing his missing nail. Blood slowly oozed from the wound, but that was when Obito noticed it. The blood wasn't red.

It was a glowing yellow.

"It seems you get it," Naruto said as he put his hand down. He then began to fade away. in to nothing.

"Simply a fortified Cero Vivo."

The voice came from behind Obito, and the man turned around. Standing there was a completely uninjured Uzumaki Naruto. He looked as though he had never even been in battle yet.

"You see, you've been fighting a clone this whole time. Even when you first attacked me, it was Cero Vivo. Disheartening, isn't it? This clone is about half of my own true power, and it had been going all out ever since you used your bankai. It's a horrible thing to learn, if I were you. Now you must realize how hopeless it is to continue fighting."

Obito nearly dropped his weapon. The person he had been fighting, the one that had killed Kakashi, had killed so many other Shinigami, had been a clone. He clenched his teeth in anger.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the act. "Oh, so you want to keep fighting. Very well, but be forewarned. I'm completely unlike my clone. I will show no mercy."

A loud roar came form Obito, and the Uchiha slammed his hammer into the ground as hard as he could. As he did, the earth rose. It rose like a tidal wave, ready to consume all that dared to battle its master.

Naruto showed no emotion as the massive attack came at him. The wave was made completely out of large, jagged rocks, and it reached the top of the cavern. This didn't matter to the boy. Not at all. He simply drew his blade, and nicked one of his fingers. Blood began to dribble from the small cut, and Naruto raised that hand at the approaching wave of stone.

Then, Naruto spoke, "You want to know something? My greatest skill, by far, is my astounding control of the hollow attack known as Cero. I've created many variations, as my clone must have shown you. I can even use one of the grandest Cero, the Gran Rey Cero, without the use of my blood. However, I have found that when I do use Gran Rey the traditional way, the power is increased exponentially. Here, find out for yourself. Gran Rey Cero!!!!!!!"

The cero that was launched was not bright yellow, or orange. It was red. A bright, blinding red. And this red cero filled the entire cavern, even reaching beyond. The wave of earth was blown away like it was made of paper. Obito's eyes widened as the massive beam consumed him. He closed his eyes.

The end had come for him.

/////////

Naruto stood in the rubble of the cavern. The entire top of the underground area had been blown away, destroying the buildings above it. Many Shinigami had died because of it. Over a hundred, for sure. However, the Gran Rey Cero had been willed by Naruto to only stay within the limits of the cavern. He didn't want to destroy _too _much of Seireitei. He had promised to leave the portions around the walls intact.

Naruto's eyebrows raised when there was shifting of rubble in front of him. The blond chuckled in amazement when Obito emerged from the rubble, his zanpakutō now back in its unsealed state.

"So? How did you survive that one?"

Obito glared at the blond, before reaching into the rubble, producing a shard of diamond. Naruto nodded in understanding.

"An ability of yours that lets you create diamond for a defense, with your zanpakutō. Very nice. However, I see that it didn't do its job in preserving you from injury, if the missing hand is any indicator."

True to his word, Obito's right hand was gone. It had been blown away by the Gran Rey Cero when his defense had finally failed.

Naruto drew his blade once more. "Well, it doesn't matter, now. I'm going to end it right now. The scalping I was promising before, I think."

Naruto began his approach towards the downed Uchiha, intent on finally killing the Shinigami.

That was, until, a bolt of lightning struck him in the back.

The arrancar cried out in surprise and stumbled forward, eyes wide.

Turning around, a tick appeared on Naruto's forehead. "Oh, come on!!!!! Don't any of you Shinigami just die? Jeez, it's getting really annoying!"

Hatake Kakashi chuckled a bit at his former student's outburst. "Well, you should have made sure I was dead, Naruto."

"Made sure you were dead!?! I blew your fucking head off!!!"

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I forgot to tell you that my zanpakutō can turn any part of me invisible..."

Naruto growled at his old sensei. "Even if you did turn your head invisible, it still would have been blown off!!"

Kakashi smirked. "Yes, that's true. But, you forgot about this." He pointed to his Sharingan eye, which slowly began to change.

Into Mangekyo.

Naruto slapped is face in realization. "Your little pocket dimension thing! Shit, how could I have forgotten that!? Hey! Wait a minute, I still impaled you through the heart with my sword...or at least my clone did..."

Kakashi gave another one of his infamous eye smiles. "Yes, that should have killed me. However, a friend of mine was happy to help me with that little problem."

"Hundred!!!"

Naruto eyes widened at the familiar voice. He quickly used sonido, dodging a rain of razor cloths. When he reappeared, he sent a death glare at the newly arrived Rin. Surprisingly, the woman returned the glare in full. She was already in bankai, perfectly ready for the ensuing battle. She quickly came to Obito, worry on her face as she tended to her husband's wounds.

The blond turned his attention back to Kakashi. "So you've brought some backup. Like it matters! I've beaten her before, and I can sure as hell do it again!"

Kakashi smirked at the boy. "Yes, you may have beaten her on a previous occasion. But that was when she was on her own. Now, she has backup. Let's see how things turn out this time."

Naruto scoffed at the Shinigami. "A little conceited, ain't ya? Oh well, you'll cut that shit out soon enough. Especially when you're choking on your own blood!"

Naruto took one step forward, ready to immerse himself in wonderful battle. That was, until, a voice shouted down from the top of the cavern.

"Crash, Kuroiten(7)!!!"

Naruto looked up to see who was now entering this little battle. And his eyes widened.

Down from the heaven dropped Uchiha Sasuke, zanpakutō in hand.

The blade was a chokuto, with snow white hilt and sheath and a midnight black blade. The hilt had a hollow rectangle on the end of it, bent at a 45 degree angle.

Naruto could give a shit less about Sasuke's shikai. No, he was simply happy. Happy that he could finally kill this mother fucker. A maniac grin exploded on Naruto's visage, and Kakashi's eyes widened.

Sasuke landed in front of Naruto, his blade pointed at the blond. "It's been awhile, Naruto..."

Kakashi quickly yelled, "Sasuke!! Get out of here! Now!!"

Sasuke paid no heed to the yelling former Jonin. "Aren't you going to answer me, Naruto?"

Naruto's grin became even wider, and, to the shock of everyone present, the blond drove his sword through the center of his chest. However, their shock faded when it was revealed that the boy had simply put his blade through his hollow hole.

Naruto looked right into Sasuke's eyes. "Am I going to talk? Oh yes...in fact..."

"Mutilate. Malévolo Verdugo."

And, with that, the horror began.

Naruto's reiatsu absolutely began to drown all Shinigami present. It was a dark gray reiatsu, and began to spew from his chest. It began to swallow Naruto's entire being. When the boy was fully immersed, the reiatsu became a sphere around the blond. There was a ripple on the sphere's surface, and it suddenly became a sphere of liquid metal. There was a brief pause, before a sword emerged from the sphere. It was soon followed by a hand, then an arm, and finally a head. Naruto emerged from his transformation as a horrible harbinger of death.

His brutal looking armor clanked as he stepped forward. His long platinum blond pony tail swayed in the wind. His eyes, red and decorated with pentagrams, looked on coldly at the former shinobi. His pale face was completely neutral, like a machine.

The four Shinigami looked at him in terrible awe. He looked at them with pity.

"Miro sobre los muertos(8)."

**END**

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(1)-- Kiijinchi: Japanese for "Wonderful Knowledge."

(2)-- Hado Number 63: Raikōhō-- means Thunder Roar Cannon.

(3)-- Taladrador del Cero: means Cero Piercer.

(4)-- Cero Vivo: means Living Cero.

(5)-- Shokkingu Vijon: Shocking Vision.

(6)-- Gouzen Omoiyama: Roaring Heavy Mountain.

(7)-- Kuroiten: Black Heaven.

(8)-- Miro sobre los muertos: "I look upon the dead."

HOLY SHIT!!! That was a fun chapter to write. I really don't have much to say other than that I hope you liked it.


	20. XIX Cortez the Killer, Part 3

**Antagonist**

by Kalashnikov2092

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto or Bleach.

Author's Musings: Man, it's been a long ass time since I've updated. I'm afraid that this will only be a short chapter, because ONE) I want you all to know that I haven't given up on this fic, and TWO) I still don't have enough time to put out an epic length chapter, let alone the rest of the story. I still have a lot of other things I have to do before I can finally put my full devotion into this fic. So I hope this can keep you all sated until that time comes.

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"Introduce a little anarchy, upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos. I'm an agent of chaos. And you want to know the thing about chaos? It's fair." - The Joker, _Dark Knight_

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XIX: Cortez the Killer, Part 3

El Santo Verdugo simply stood there. The Shinigami had expected the blond to attack them immediately, but he had just stood there, not moving an inch.

"What's he playing at," Obito asked as he stood up. Rin had been able to stop the bleeding from his severed hand, and the stump was now wrapped in cloth.

Kakashi frowned. "I don't know. I think he's waiting for us to make the first move. Like it's a game to him..."

Obito scowled. "Bastard."

The man turned to Rin, asking, "Were you able to get the others before you came here?"

Rin shook her head in shame. "No...I was able to run into Sakura, though. I sent her to get the others while I came back to help."

Obito cursed. "Damn it, who knows how long it could take for her to get to them. It looks like we'll have to stay alive long enough for them to come an---"

And suddenly a hand closed over Obito's face. The man's eye widened as he stared into the blank face of Uzumaki Naruto. The arrancar hefted him up in the air by his face, before smashing him into the ground. Obito cried out at the tremendous force behind the attack. His vision swam, and he began slipping in and out of consciousness.

Rin quickly moved in, trying to attack Naruto from behind. However, the blond didn't even have to see her before he launched a kick behind him, catching the woman in the stomach. She cried out as the force of the kick flung her across the cavern.

Kakashi cursed, launching his silver beam at the blond Verdugo. Naruto just disappeared. Kakashi hadn't even realized the blond was gone before an armored fist exploded against his chin. Kakashi was sent skidding backwards.

Naruto turned his attention to Sasuke now.

The young Uchiha looked at him with Mangekyo Sharingan eyes, while the young Uzumaki stared at him with red pentagram eyes.

"Sasuke...we finally meet once again," Naruto's voice drawled. His old voice was gone. Now the arrancar spoke in a monotone. It was almost gentle, and if you strained your ears, there was almost like a metallic timbre to it.

The Uchiha nodded at his opponent. "It has been quite some time since we last met. A little over four years, if I'm correct."

"Time has little meaning to me. The memory of our last battle has been fresh in my mind for every day that I've lived as a hollow. To me, our battle was only yesterday. It will end, this time. This war between us. When the sun sets on this day, one of us will be no more."

Sasuke nodded at his old comrade. "Yes, our rivalry ends today. Come, Naruto. Let this be our final clash!"

Sasuke's zanpakutō flared with black reiatsu as he took a defensive stance. Naruto's face was still apathetic as he pointed his blade at his old rival.

"Corona de Espinas (1)."

A ring of dark gray reiatsu formed at the tip of Naruto's blade, and Sasuke immediately became wary. The ring grew until it had the diameter of about one foot, before Naruto swung his sword. Sasuke was caught by complete surprise when the ring was suddenly making contact with his left shoulder. Then, the ring turned into steel, and long steel spikes shot from the outside of it. Sasuke cried out as spikes pierced clean through his shoulder.

A moment later, Naruto was there, his fist burying itself in Sasuke's stomach. The raven haired Uchiha gave a silent scream as Naruto's punch lifted him off the ground. Faster than the eye could see, Naruto's fist was removed, and instead his elbow struck, right into the center of Sasuke's back. The boy cried out and slammed into the ground with earth-shattering force. Naruto's foot slipped under Sasuke's chin, pulling the boy to his feet.

As Sasuke now stood up, Naruto launched a bala into the center of the Shinigami's chest. Sasuke went flying backwards, only to be caught by a now recovered Rin. She quickly wrapped the boy's bleeding shoulder with some of her cloth. He gave her a nod of thanks and the two turned their attention back to Naruto.

However, he was gone.

Rin cried out as a roundhouse kick collided with the side of her face. Sasuke cursed and tried to jump away from his blond antagonist, but Naruto's armored hand quickly grabbed the front of his robes. Sasuke grunted as a head butt collided with his forehead, sending him stumbling. Naruto followed up with a chop straight to to the Uchiha's throat. Sasuke gagged and coughed as his throat closed for a second, and then Naruto's fist exploded across his vision.

"Hundred!"

Naruto turned back to Rin, who was now launching her wave of razor cloths at him. He showed no emotion as the attack came at him, he simply disappeared. Rin's eyes widened at Naruto's vanishing act.

"Cero."

This voice came from behind Rin, but she had no time to identify the speaker. A cero, gray in color, swallowed her up. Naruto stared into the reiatsu attack, waiting to see what kind of injuries the woman had sustained. As the smoke cleared, Rin stood, the flesh on her back gone. Tendons and muscle could be easily seen. The woman was gasping in pain every time she moved. Rin quickly wrapped her back in her cloths, hoping to staunch the bleeding.

"You should leave," Naruto spoke.

Rin glared at her opponent. "Leave? Why?"

"You obviously stand no chance against me. My power far surpasses your own. You should leave, it will allow you to live."

Rin scowled at the blond. "You're letting me live? Why aren't you just gonna kill me?"

Naruto's red eyes bore into her, and he said, "I have no interest in killing you. I've already done it before, so doing it again will bring no pleasure to me. So leave, before I change my mind."

Rin spat in Naruto's face. "No! I'm never going to leave my friends! Especially now! I'll fight you, even if it kills me!"

Naruto summoned reiatsu onto his face, disintegrating Rin's spit. "Do you think you're being noble? Dying with your friends? No, it will be a very terrible thing. To watch the people you care about be slaughtered. The offer I'm giving you is an act of mercy. However, now I rescind my offer. I'll kill you, but not now. I'll kill you next to last, so you can weep at the corpses of you comrades. Here, let it begin."

And Naruto was gone. Rin blinked once before actually noticing the boy's absence. Immediately, a look of worry happened across the woman's features.

"I'm over here, Shinigami."

Rin turned to her left, and her heart almost stopped. In Naruto's grip was her husband, Uchiha Obito. He was struggling to break the blond's hold, but was wholly unsuccessful.

Naruto looked straight into Obito's eyes, but spoke to Rin, "Now watch closely, woman. I'm about to kill your lover." Naruto's hand reared back, ready to gore the one-eyed Uchiha. Rin screamed as Naruto's hand began to come forward.

"Shokkingu Vijon!"

Naruto's hand changed direction, now pointing at the recovered Kakashi. In Kakashi's hand was something that almost made Naruto chuckle in amusement. In Kakashi's hand, to put it simply, was a Raikiri. The blond had no idea how the man had been able to recreate the jutsu, but truthfully, he didn't care. Kakashi swooped in, trying to hit Naruto with his new attack. The arrancar, as said before, simply raised his hand at the man.

He caught the attack in that open hand, shocking the former jounin. Naruto's armored hand closed around Kakashi's electrified one, and the blond showed no reaction to a possible injury.

"Such an amusing attack, Kakashi. Leave it to you to find a way to use your signature jutsu in the afterlife. Tell me, how exactly were you able to do it?"

Kakashi frowned at his old student. "Why should I tell you?"

Naruto nodded. "Fine, you don't have to tell me. But you should have."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "Oh? And why is that?"

"It would have prolonged your life for a few more seconds."

Naruto's foot crashed into the man's chest, breaking ribs in an instant. Kakashi cried out at the new injury. Naruto, still having hold of Kakashi's arm, wrenched it upwards. Kakashi yelled as his elbow was now bent in the opposite angle. Naruto, not even close to being finished, then delivered a vicious uppercut, still while holding onto Kakashi's now broken arm. The man sagged in Naruto's grip, but Naruto was unrelenting. Naruto's blade sank deep into the Shinigami's thigh, bringing the man out of unconsciousness and into painful awareness. Kakashi screamed at the receiving of yet another painful wound.

Naruto's torture was ended when a kick slammed into the side of his head. Granted, Naruto didn't move an inch, but he still relinquished his hold of the seriously injured Hatake. He turned his attention to Sasuke, who was sporting a bleeding forehead, thanks to Naruto's previous head butt. Sasuke pointed his sword straight at Naruto, and suddenly a bolt of black lightning surged from the tip. Naruto raised an eyebrow at the attack, before batting it away with his hand.

Sasuke was left with mouth agape at the failure of his lightning. Naruto soon crashed a bala into Sasuke's stomach, throwing the Uchiha backward. As he got to his feet, Sasuke found Naruto towering over him once again. Sasuke went for a slash infused with electricity, but Naruto promptly vanished. His location was made aware when a chop crashed down upon Sasuke's left shoulder, driving the boy to his knees.

"How funny this is, Sasuke," Naruto began. "You used to boast so loudly when we fought on previous occasions. Now look at you. You stand before me as nothing but a leaf I could brush away like nothing. How does it feel, Uchiha?"

Sasuke's immediate answer was to roar in anger, charging a black lightning bolt through his sword. The boy reared his blade back to strike, but never got farther than that. Two small, but deep gashed appeared on each of Sasuke's forearms. The Uchiha cried out in pain, but did not relinquish hold of his weapon. He struck out at Naruto, but the blond was no longer in front of Sasuke. As the dark haired Shinigami swung at thin air, Naruto appeared behind his former comrade. The arrancar grabbed hold of Sasuke's black hair and yanked back. Sasuke cried out and bent backwards. Naruto's fist soon plowed into the Uchiha's chest, driving him into the ground.

Naruto shook his head in disappointment. "How sad, Sasuke. I had hoped that his fight would be as intense as our previous bouts. I guess that you just aren't as strong as me anymore."

Naruto's leg came back, preparing to kick Sasuke straight in the face. However, his leg stopped when he felt something...new reiatsu signatures. He looked up.

Straight into the eyes of one Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Naruto's blade blurred up, blocking the old man's own blade. The two locked swords for a moment, before Hiruzen leaped back.

Naruto stared at the old Hokage with apathy. "Hello old man."

Hiruzen's face was stony as he looked back at the blond. "Naruto. It has been quite some time since we last met. It seems you've changed quite a bit."

Naruto's red eyes bored holes through the old man. "Changed? Yes, I have changed. Quite a bit, in fact. So much so, I can now sense that Jiraiya and Itachi are here as well. Why don't you come out to where I can see you?"

Hiruzen's eyebrows raised as Naruto talked. So the boy knew that Jiraiya and Itachi are here. This could be trouble...

There were two clacks as Jiraiya and Itachi landed next to Sarutobi. Jiraiya's face was grim as he looked at his old apprentice. Itachi was calm as ever, sizing up the blond.

Naruto turned towards Jiraiya. "The master and the apprentice are reunited, eh Jiraiya?"

The perverted Sannin frowned, saying, "Yeah, I guess so, gaki. Though, I can't say this is a happy moment for me."

"That is understandable. In your eyes, I have fallen from grace. Became evil. That's arguable, but I'm not in the mood for conversation. So, I will only ask this once. All of you, use your bankai."

The three Shinigami in front of Naruto hesitated. However, Itachi then drew his blade. It was an interesting weapon, a three-foot ninjato with a double-edged blade. It had a black and white hilt, with a guard shaped in the commas of the Sharingan eye.

Itachi's eyes became the infamous Sharingan, and he said, "I can see that you are powerful. Far more powerful than anyone I've ever fought. So, it is mandatory that I use my bankai if I wish to live through this battle. Jiraiya-sama, Hiruzen-sama, I implore you to do the same."

Hiruzen was still for a moment, before he got into a battle stance. Jiraiya, however, was looking very conflicted. Naruto saw this and frowned.

"Jiraiya."

The man looked at his old student.

"If you do not use your bankai this instant, I'm going to kill all the spirits that reside outside of the Seireitei."

Jiraiya's eyes widened at the threat. A fierce look of frustration then overtook the man's features.

"What the hell is wrong with you!? Where is the old Naruto? Do you even know what you've become?! God dammit, you've killed an old friend of yours! You killed Shizune, and now you're gonna kill--"

"I also killed Asuma."

Jiraiya's words stopped immediately at Naruto's. He looked over to his old sensei, to find that Hiruzen had gone completely pale.

"You...you what," Hiruzen asked in disbelief.

Naruto looked directly into the old man's eyes. "I said that I killed your son, Sarutobi Asuma, in addition to Shizune."

"BANKAI!!!!!"

Naruto did not react as Sarutobi Hiruzen activated his second release. He simply stood there, apathy the only thing apparent on his pale face. His expression did not change, even when Sarutobi's bankai was revealed.

In Sarutobi's left hand was a sword. A sword that was six feet long and two feet wide. It was a massive weapon, with a curved, blue blade. Sarutobi also wielded a shield in his right hand. It was also quite large, being bigger than the old man who wielded it. It was made out of gnarled old wood, but looked very strong.

Hiruzen pointed his large blade at Naruto, and spoke, "Denkiteki Sugifukei(2)."

Naruto nodded at the old man. "Very good. Now, Jiraiya. How about you?"

Instead of Jiraiya answering, Itachi spoke. "Bankai."

Naruto's apathetic gaze fell upon the Uchiha. Itachi looked back into those eyes, unflinching. Naruto nodded in respect to the act.

Dark purple reiatsu exploded out of the back of Itachi's shoulders. The energy writhed out of the man's shoulder's before beginning to solidify. As it did this, reiatsu also began to consume Itachi's blade. The reiatsu both on Itachi's sword and back solidified, revealing his strongest form. The prodigal Uchiha now sported large black wings on his back. They were a bird's wings, covered in obsidian feathers. As said before, the wings were massive, easily having a span of twenty feet. The weapon in Itachi's hand was no longer a ninjato, but a long black jousting lance.

"Tenrai Juunijitori(3)," stated Itachi.

"So this is what you are capable of, Itachi-san. Quite impressive," Naruto drawled. The boy's attention then returned to his old sensei. "The others have met my request. Now we are only waiting for you, Jiraiya-sensei. Hurry and use your bankai, or else I will be forced to follow up on the threat I spoke of before."

Turmoil easily showed on the old pervert's face. However, Naruto could care less.

"Why do you hesitate Jiraiya? Do the souls here not matter to you? And I thought you had compassion..."

"Shut the fuck up, you brat!" cried Obito.

Naruto turned to find Obito rushing at him. The Verdugo scoffed at the Uchiha and raised is hand at the man. Obito halted his movement immediately, but it was too late.

Pointing at the man, Naruto said, "Empale(4)."

Obito didn't even have time to blink before he died. Faster than anyone could see, a rod of steel extended from Naruto's pointed finger. The rod had gone forward, piercing through Obito's eye patch, before doing the same to his mind. The rod had skewered Obito's head easily. He was dead.

There was a retching noise as Rin emptied the contents of her stomach. Wide eyes looked upon the scene, owned by former shinobi. Naruto once again turned his attention to his former sensei.

"Do you see?" Naruto asked. "Do you now understand that I'm serious? I pray that you have, lest you wish to see more die. For the last time Jiraiya, use your bankai. Use your bankai or I will show no mercy."

Jiraiya did not say anything.

"Fine then. You have till the count of three. One...two..."

Still no reaction.

"Thr-"

"BANKAI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

White reiatsu practically burst from Jiraiya. The blinding energy condensed around its master's sheathed zanpakutō, changing its shape. Jiraiya quickly took hold of the weapon's handle and pulled it from his hip. He hefted the now massive weapon over his shoulder. In Jiraiya's hand was no longer a katana, but a massive battle ax. The great weapon had a ruby red handle, with two massive white blades. A large white ring connected the blades, the ring itself being a foot in diameter.

"Kuubaku Kessei Zuhan(5)," Jiraiya whispered solemnly as he stared deeply into Naruto's unfeeling eyes. Said arrancar simply turned his gaze back to Sarutobi. The old man gave Naruto a cold look before going into a battle stance.

"It seems that the party is about to start," Naruto stated in his monotonous voice. "However, there is one last guest that is being shy. Isn't that right, girl?"

Naruto disappeared with a startlingly quick sonido, causing all Shinigami to tense. An attack never came, however. Instead, Naruto's reiatsu reappeared at the top of the hole. The Shinigami quickly turned their attention to the Verdugo, and gasped when they finally saw him. He was standing on the edge of the hole, dangling another Shinigami over the abyss. He held the Shinigami by her throat, staring at her with something akin to amusement.

The pink haired Shinigami shivered under his gaze. Naruto pulled her face closer to his.

"Hello, Haruno. What do you think of the horror that you helped create?"

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(1)-- Corona de Espinas: "Crown of Thorns"

(2)-- Denkiteki Sugifukei: "Legendary Past Guardians"

(3)-- Tenrai Juunijitori: "Divine Midnight Bird"

(4)-- Empale: "Impale"

(5)-- Kuubaku Kessei Zuhan: "Vast Formation Figure"

Just a taste of the battles that will happen in the future of this fic. Hope that this will whet your appetite for destruction.


	21. XX Cortez the Killer, Part 4

**Antagonist**

by Kalashnikov2092

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach. Or a car.

Author's Musings: Hellz yeah! I have returned after a momentous absence, and I have to say I'm glad that that absence has come to an end. My senior project was a long and tiring ordeal unlike any I have ever had to do.

Oh well. Now that it's over, more Antagonist!!!!

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"Time wounds all heals." - John Lennon

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XX: Cortez the Killer, Part 4

"Hello, Haruno. What do you think of the horror that you helped create?"

Sakura's jade green eyes couldn't help but stare into Naruto's red ones. She could see a sea of despair and anger within them. Was this really Naruto? Was this the happy-go-lucky blond that had fought so hard for her affections?

Looking into those pentagram marked eyes, Sakura seriously doubted this was that same Naruto. He seemed too dark to be her old teammate.

"Are you not answering me?" he asked. His blade came up, gently pressing against her face. The weapon felt incredibly cold, seeming to steal the warmth from her cheek.

"What has happened to you?" she asked, surprised that she had any power to speak at all. Naruto's reiatsu was suffocating to say the least.

Raising an eyebrow, Naruto said, "What has happened to me? Why, _you_ happened to me, Sakura. The reason I stand before you in such a form is all because of your actions. You created this hollow with your misplaced anger and damning words. Can you remember it Sakura? Can you remember when I died?"

Still staring into the horrifying depths of her former teammate's eyes, she was sorry to say that she did. She remembered every detail of his death. His body had been a mess, covered in various cuts, bruises, and burns. However, the major injury was obviously the gaping hole that passed through his chest. That was the wound that had ultimately ended Uzumaki Naruto's life. A wound that had been administered by Uchiha Sasuke, another teammate of hers.

He too was dead at the scene, his body ripped to shreds by Naruto's ultimate offensive attack. The only thing she had been able to distinguish in that mess of blood and flesh that told her it was Sasuke was his Sharingan eyes. As she had looked into them all those years ago, they had been spinning still, even though their owner was nothing anymore. They continued to spin before fading away into Sasuke's normal onyx. It was strange how they had faded back. It was as though blank ink had beed dripped into red water. The blackness drifted like clouds of silt when you stomped through a pond. It had spread throughout his irises until those eyes were solidly black.

The grief she had felt at their two bodies nearly drove her insane. Her feeling for the two of them clashed violently inside her mind, until her anger finally settled upon Naruto. He had been the cause of everything, she had thought. Sasuke left Konoha because he was jealous of Naruto's growth, so he wanted to exceed his blond brother. Pein, the leader of Akatsuki, had destroyed Konoha in search of the boy. In the end, Kakashi had died in that attack.

To top it all off, Naruto killed Sasuke, breaking a promise to Sakura that they had forged years ago. He had continuously reassured Sakura that he'd bring back Sasuke _alive_. He got her hopes up for so long, only to dash them with a single Rasenshuriken.

Her hatred of Naruto continued for years after, even continuing into her afterlife. Not once did she ever think that her anger was misplaced. To Sakura, it was complete and totally Uzumaki Naruto's fault. And when she found out that Naruto was an arrancar, she never once thought that she was the reason why he had become a hollow in the first place. She knew that the soul sees its own corpse after it dies. She had found this out herself. Still, it never even crossed her mind that Naruto saw her spiteful rant after he died.

However, now she realized this.

He stood in front of her now, her past sins finding a powerful medium in an arrancar so terrifying that she was sure that she would feel urine run down her leg at any moment. This..._thing..._in front of her was created by her actions. Worst of all, this demon was Naruto. She turned him into this. If she had been rational back then, all this horror would have never fallen upon Soul Society. Shizune, Obito, and countless others would still be alive.

"Oh _God..._oh God, _what have I done?_" Sakura whispered as tears began to pour out of her emerald eyes.

Naruto's head tilted to the side. "What's this? _Tears_? For me? I'm surprised that you'd spill them for the man that killed your precious Sasuke. Tell me Sakura, why do you cry for me now?"

"I turned you into this...I...I ruined you Naruto! You shouldn't be like this! You should still be the kind soul! You should be finding peace in the afterlife, not this senseless slaughter! If I had just-"

"Just what?" Naruto asked, cutting off his former comrade's tearful regrets. "kept your mouth shut and cried silently when I died? Well you didn't. You blamed everything one me. But you're right. If you had shown some compassion for me when I died, I would have never become a hollow. I just might have finally found a peaceful existence in 'heaven.' However, that didn't happen. Now we're standing here as enemies. I'm a follower of Aizen, and you one of the Gotei 13. So what shall we do about this?"

"Perhaps you should die," a voice sounded from behind Naruto. Uchiha Sasuke flashed into the scene, his zanpakutō silently crackling with black lightning.

His eyes not leaving Sakura's, Naruto plowed a powerful bala into Sasuke's face. The Uchiha went rocketing backwards, lodging himself into one of the Seireitei's many stone buildings. As soon as Sasuke made contact with the building, Itachi appeared next to Sakura, aiming a lance thrust at Naruto's face. Finally taking his eyes off of Sakura, the blond arrancar tilted his head to the side. The black jousting lance flashed past him, seemingly missing. However, the surface of the weapon seemed to ripple.

Then, dozens of long black chains formed out of Itachi's bankai, attempting to bind Naruto. However, El Santo Verdugo jumped backwards at an impossible speed to dodge the offensive. As he was flying through the air, Sarutobi used shunpo to materialize behind his former subordinate. The elderly Shinigami raised his large blade above his head before bringing it down upon the blond. Almost like having eyes in the back of his head, Naruto blocked the strike with his own blade without ever having to turn around.

However, this block was actually unsuccessful. Instead of halting Sarutobi's massive weapon, the sword unleashed an attack that would not be stopped by a mere sword. A pillar of water sprayed forth from the old man's bankai, hitting Naruto dead-on.

The torrent shot Naruto into the ground, the stream never seeming to stop. Soon, it began rising into deep pool of water. "Sasuke!" cried Sarutobi. "Hit him! He's under water, so hit him now!"

Sasuke, who was presently pulling himself out of the wall, nodded and pointed his black zanpakutō at the pool. A thin bolt of obsidian electricity shot from the tip, hitting the water in a split second. The water immediately conducted the charge, increasing its power by leaps and bounds. Small arcs or lightning skipped across the pool's surface as Kuroiten electrocuted anything within the depths.

The current was cut off, Sasuke pulling back his blade to see if his attack had worked. The pool's surface was completely still. Perhaps his lightning had fried the blond arrancar.

"Cero."

Sasuke's eyes widened considerably as a gray cero suddenly materialize in front of him. The attack was too close. There was no way that he'd be able to dodge such a huge attack!

Before the panic could overtake Sasuke, Hiruzen popped into existence in front of the Uchiha. Something grabbed onto Sasuke, pulling him closer to the former Hokage. Sarutobi then raised his colossal wooden shield up at Naruto's cero. The beam smashed into the shield with tremendous force, forcing Sarutobi back considerably. However, the old man's defense held true, dispersing the cero in a matter of seconds.

The attack gone, Sarutobi lowered his shield. Sasuke found that the thing that had pulled him towards the old man was a vine, one that was connected to the old man's shield. However, the vine was scorched by he previously blocked cero, and it soon snapped and separated from Hiruzen's bankai. Looking at the shield, Sasuke found that the front of it was scorched beyond all recognition. Ash gently blew off it as the wind caressed the shield.

Then, to Sasuke's amazement, small, green plants began to sprout from the shield's surface. The plants then grew at a rapid pace, turning into thick branches that wrapped around each other. After a mere four seconds, the shield was mended back into its original form. Sasuke marveled at the old man's bankai. To be able to fix itself, it was indeed an incredible ability.

However, the boy's musings were interrupted when Itachi landed behind him, blocking a swing of Naruto's blade that wound have hacked Sasuke in two. The prodigal Uchiha did not block with his lance, though. Instead, one of his two wings had folded down to stop Naruto's sword dead in its tracks.

Naruto stared at Itachi with a completely blank face. As he did, the feathers on Itachi's wing suddenly turned into more black chains, gaining a firm hold on his opponent's weapon. Naruto seemed to frown a bit at the act, but did not look alarmed in the least.

Itachi attempted another thrust with his lance, this one aimed directly at Naruto's heart. Faster than the eye could see, an armored fist smashed full force into the side of Itachi's bankai, batting the attack away. Being wide open for an attack, Itachi brought his free wing around to launch its black chains at Naruto. The chains that emerged this time were tipped with what looked to be kunai.

Seeing this, Naruto showed his frightening strength by breaking his sword free of Itachi's chains with a powerful swing. The blade flew across horizontally, aiming to slit Itachi's throat. The Uchiha quickly dodged backwards, coming away with only a small nick on his chin. He frowned at the wound before thrusting his lance in Naruto's direction. A murder of crows seemed to fly from the lance's tip, straight at Naruto. The arrancar swung his blade at one, cutting it in two. However, much to the blond's surprise, the cut crow turned into two. They continued on at him, prompting him to leap backwards. The act put considerable distance between the two combatants, but as soon as his feet hit the ground, another attacker struck at Naruto.

It was Jiraiya, his ax coming down in an attempt to chop Naruto's blade arm off. Surprisingly, Naruto was able to block the massive weapon with his own, much smaller blade. The force behind the strike still dug Naruto's feet into the ground, but the arrancar didn't flinch in the slightest.

"Is that the extent of your bankai's power?" Naruto asked his former mentor.

Smirking down at his first student's son, Jiraiya replied, "Come on now! Didn't you learn anything from that training trip? I man look like a perverted old man, but I'm a powerful fighter as well!"

Suddenly, the edge of Jiraiya's ax glowed before exploding into a wave of long white spikes. Dozens of them punched through Naruto's armor, then Naruto himself. He looked surprised for a moment, before exploding magnificently, the blast consuming Jiraiya and his bankai.

It was a Cero Vivo.

After the smoke cleared, Jiraiya still remained in one piece. The spikes were gone, replaced with a half-dome in front of the former Sannin. It was covered with cracks and scorch marks, but it had effectively protected Jiraiya.

The half-dome seemed to get sucked back into the blade of Jiraiya's ax. He looked around cautiously, knowing that his opponent was lurking somewhere. It seemed that his caution was all for naught, for a fist soon planted itself into Jiraiya's gut. The old pervert never saw it coming, it was just too quick for his eyes to catch. Naruto's fist lifted the larger man off the ground at a considerable distance. Using the same speed to plow his fist into his mentor's stomach, Naruto removed it all together. Still in the air, Jiraiya had no time to block an equally quick kick to the chest.

Before Jiraiya could make harsh contact with anything solid, a net of vines cast from Sarutobi's shield snatched him up. Hiruzen pulled his student over to him, getting a nod of thanks from the pervert. They stood together, gazing across a row of houses at Naruto. The stoic arrancar was blank of emotion as he pointed his finger at the two of them.

"Taladrador del Cero," he called, and a bolt of gray energy crackled towards the two Shinigami. It moved at impossible speeds, very well close to that of a lightning bolt. However, Sarutobi did not look fazed. Instead, he stepped forward once again, his shield held in front of him. As soon as the act was completed, the gray bolt slammed into the defense, stopping immediately.

Hiruzen gritted his teeth as his feet skidded back a bit. The force of Naruto's attack was surprising. He could feel his shield weakening as it desperately tried to hold up against the Taladrador del Cero. He was suddenly aware of a light breaking through the barrier in front of him. He soon realized that the light was that of Naruto's energy attack.

He moved on instinct, spinning away at a frantic speed. As he did so, the remaining portion of his shield slammed into the side of the bolt, smacking it away from him and Jiraiya. The attack punched through dozens of buildings with ease. The attack finally slammed into the east walls, blowing them away completely.

Sarutobi looked at the destruction in awe. Never in his career had he seen such annihilation so pure and refined as this.

His thoughts taking him, Sarutobi had to be saved by Jiraiya. Naruto suddenly appeared next to the two, directing a thrust directly at the side of Hiruzen's face. An upward swing of Jiraiya's bankai had limited the wound to that of a cut across the old man's scalp. Hiruzen winced and turned his attention to his opponent. The massive blue sword the man wielded was thrust into the ground. The result was all of the roof in front of it erupting into a tidal wave.

The attack looked to hit Naruto head on, but the arrancar did something surprising. He slashed at the wave, cutting it in two. He moved through the gap with ease, coming to deliver another swipe at the old Shinigami. Hiruzen cursed as he was forced to block the slash. Their two blades met in a shower of sparks. The two forces repelled the two combatants a bit, but they soon met in another clash.

Naruto went for another thrust, but Sarutobi turned it away with the flat of his blade. Having dodged the strike, Hiruzen went for one of his own. He bashed his now mended shield into Naruto, and a large pillar of wood shot from the shield's surface. Naruto stuck his hand out, blocking the pillar with it. The attack still pushed the arrancar backwards, putting distance between Naruto and his Shinigami foes.

Still showing no emotion, Naruto's hand closed into a fist. Before Sarutobi could analyze the act, a Carnicero hacked his wooden pillar in two. It traveled the length of the pillar and back to the shield. Sarutobi winced in pain when the cero blade cut through his shield and made a deep gash on his shoulder. He quickly used shunpo to escape the deadly attack, as well as to get medical attention from Rin.

Seeing Naruto's eyes follow his sensei's movements, Jiraiya quickly blurred forward to intercept his former pupil. He swung his ax, and its blades glowed and disappeared. Now, two white wolves pounced on the blond, aiming to grasp hold of his throat. Naruto swung his long blade, striking one of the wolves with ease. However, his blade did not cut the wolf. Instead, it made a sound much like metal on metal, before bashing the wolf away. The other wolf he grabbed by its throat, before throwing it back at Jiraiya.

He caught the creature with his bladeless ax. The wolf glowed once, before transforming back into one of the ax's blades. A white light collided with the other side of the ax, reforming the other blade. Naruto surveyed the area. The light had come from around where he had bashed away the first wolf.

He seemed to applaud Jiraiya, saying, "I'm impressed with your bankai, Jiraiya. Its name fits it quite well; Vast Formation Figure. It does indeed form interesting things from its blades. However, I have seen nothing 'vast' quite yet. Why don't you show me."

Jiraiya smirked at his old student. "Kid, you always were impatient."

He swung his blade into the ground. The weapon glowed for a second, then the earth began rumbling. Suddenly, a gigantic hand exploded out of the ground. The thing was easily a hundred feet tall from wrist to fingertip, It tried to grab Naruto, but the arrancar used superior speed to escape outside its grasp. The attack did not end, however, because the hand transformed right before Naruto's eyes. It became an equally massive revolver, completely white.

There was a tremendous sound, and Naruto just barely was able to see the giant slug that was fired from the weapon. He quickly jolted his hand out, firing a Taladrador del Cero. The two attacks met instantly and exploded instantly. From the explosion came dozens of white lights, traveling back to Jiraiya's mighty ax. The gun receded as well, leaving Jiraiya with a completed ax once more.

Naruto looked down at the old pervert. His bankai was indeed impressive. To form into such large figures was an incredible ability. However, he was still leagues stronger that his former sensei. It wouldn't be hard to finish the fight if he started to stop holding back. However, he had promised Aizen that there would at least be _some_ of of the Seireitei left when he was done. If he stopped pulling his punches, this promise would be broken. So, for now, he'd toy with his old compatriots.

"Ku ku ku ku...you're such an interesting specimen. If only you had been this strong when you were alive. Your body would have been the ultimate prize."

Naruto turned his gaze to Orochimaru, who was floating next to him. He had sensed the snake long ago, but without a bankai, the Sannin posed no threat to him at all.

"Sorry Orochimaru, but I have no interest in you at the moment. You're not even worth my time at your present level of power. It would take a captain just to scratch me, but all you are is a lowly third seat. So be gone. The powerful need not be interrupted by the pathetic," Naruto drawled, not even giving Orochimaru the courtesy of looking him in the eye.

As Naruto predicted, his comment hit a nerve with the snake Sannin. If there was one thing that Orochimaru deplored, it was being called weak. However, Naruto was in no mood to banter with the pale man. He had much bigger fish to fry, and this little snake was being a pest.

Growling, Orochimaru hissed, "Watch your tongue, boy! I have been killing long before you were born! I have fought the likes of Hanzou the Salamander! I--"

Orochimaru's words were cut off as a hand exploded out of his back, having first stabbed cleanly through his chest. The snake looked at Naruto in horror as blood literally fountained from his mouth. Naruto's free hand came up and painfully grasped the man's pale face.

Looking right into the Sannin's yellow eyes, Naruto grated, "Shut up. I told you to stay out of my fun. Now I have my arm through you as punishment. So just shut up. I have something to say: I never liked you Orochimaru. Who ever did, really? You've been the epitome of what I hate in a person. You saw others as stepping stones to your goal. You also killed the Third, one of the few human beings that treated me with decency. However, the thing I hate you the most for was your seducing of Sasuke. If you hadn't come in contact with us, he would have never betrayed us. I guess it doesn't really matter now. I'm pretty happy where I am right now, in fact. So I guess I should just end our little conversation."

Before Orochimaru could realize it, the hand that grasped his face fired a point blank cero. The man's head was atomized immediately, causing instantaneous death. Orochimaru's body went limp on the arm that impaled it, so Naruto tore his arm free of it. Blood splashed all over Naruto, but the arrancar didn't seem to care one bit.

As Orochimaru's headless body fell to the earth, El Santo Verdugo was forced to evade a thrust from Itachi's black jousting lance. He looked into Itachi's eyes, and then his own widened as he found that Itachi's had twisted into that of the Mangekyo Sharingan.

"Tsukiyomi."

The world seemed to freeze around the two enemies, before fading to a mixture of red and black. Naruto scowled as Itachi's body began to multiply into ten, then fifty, then a hundred.

"This is my world, Uzumaki Naruto. For the next 72 hours, I will break you. When those 72 hours end, you will have lost," the hundred Itachi's spoke in unison. Naruto scowled at them all. So this was Tsukiyomi. He had to say, he was impressed. He found that he could not move in the slightest. However, despite this Naruto began to laugh. Itachi found the sound quite disturbing. Instead of just hearing a laugh, it was as though there was the screech of metal being driven against metal.

"You are laughing. Why?" the perplexed Uchiha questioned, all of a sudden feeling uneasy.

Looking back at the murderer of the Uchiha clan, Naruto answered, "You've never used Tsukiyomi on an opponent that had a zanpakutō, have you?"

The world that Itachi had created suddenly began to morph. Red and black began to fade away, leaving only white. The two of them no longer stood in the Seireitei. Instead, they stood in the center of a ring, its walls made out of piles of skeletons and weapons. Wind howled shrilly inside this place, and before Itachi knew it, snow began to fall. In the sky, a blood red sun glowed with a nonexistent heat. The angle at which it was positioned in the sky cast a large shadow behind Naruto. The shadow ran up the side of the wall of bones, stopping at the very top.

"What is this?" Itachi asked as his unease began to grow into a bit of fear.

Giving Itachi a shock, Naruto stepped forward a bit. He gestured at this plane of existence and said, "This? This, Itachi, is my mind scape. This is where I would go to see the physical manifestation of my zanpakutō. In simple, this is _my_ alternate reality."

The shadow that Naruto cast on the wall began to grow darker and darker. It became an oily black, shifting and bubbling behind him. Something was in the shadow. And whatever it was, it was beginning to emerge.

"Itachi, I would like to introduce you to my zanpakutō. Malévolo Verdugo, you may come out now."

/////////

Alright. A little short, I know, but I wanted to give you guys a new chapter after so long. I'm proud to say that now I can solely give my writing time to this story. New chapters will hopefully come out in quick succession, so stay vigilant. The next chapter will reveal what Naruto's zanpakutō looks like in person, so stay excited!


	22. XXI Down A Very Dark Rabbit Hole

**Antagonist**

by Kalashnikov2092

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach. I do own a massive headache, though.

Author's Musings: Well, I'm here again. Not much for me to say other than that I hope you can enjoy the chapter.

/

"Fuck you." - Anyone who existed ever.

/

XXI: Down A Very Dark Rabbit Hole

"Itachi, I would like to introduce you to my zanpakutō. Malévolo Verdugo, you may come out now," Naruto spoke, seeming to gesture at his own shadow.

The air suddenly became very cold, Itachi realized. It was most likely the thing that emerged from Naruto's shadow that caused the change. When the creature stepped into the ring, Itachi was faintly aware that his heart was beating much too fast. The reiatsu he was feeling couldn't be compared to any other he had felt.

The thing was two feet taller that Naruto. A long tattered silver cloak was whipping through the wind, covering its body. Under the cloak was rusted plate armor. Under that, there was little else. The thing had no skin or muscle. It was simply a walking skeleton. However, its bones seemed to be made out steel, for they were silver instead of white. Its skull was strange, having short spikes coming out of its chin and brow. It had no eyes, only having blood run from its empty sockets. It still seemed to breath, mist rising from its mouth in short puffs. Its teeth were abnormal, too. Its teeth were tiny blades, scratching together when it closed its mouth.

The creature turned to Naruto and spoke to him in a voice ancient and heavy. "_Naruto...I see somebody has invaded your mind. You're lucky that I'm here, or you would be in quite a bit of trouble. So, who is it that has waltzed into our sanctuary?_"

Naruto looked into the thing's empty eyes and responded, "This is Uchiha Itachi. A Shinigami."

The thing chuckled, a sound reminiscent to vomiting in Itachi's ears. "_A Shinigami? What interesting powers this Shinigami holds. However, the power I hold is more than enough to overcome his ability. So, what shall we do with him?_"

"I don't really know. Nobody has ever been in here besides me or you," Naruto drawled.

The horror seemed to cup its chin and hum in thought. Its empty eye sockets were most likely looking at Itachi, a plausibility that sent chills up the Uchiha's spine.

A tongue suddenly slid out of the thing's mouth, licking a bit of blood off its skinless lip. The tongue was completely black and unnaturally long, almost reminding Itachi of Orochimaru.

"_I wonder...I believe that your minds are linked right now, Naruto. If this is the case, perhaps he'd like to know what it is like for somebody to go creeping around in the depths of his memories? I'm quite sure its possible at this moment. With a little assistance on my part, of course_," the monster croaked. Repulsion grasped hold of Itachi once again as he watched, while the thing was talking, small splashes of blood seemed to spray from its mouth.

Naruto's eyebrow rose ever so slightly, showing his interest in the idea. "His mind? I do believe that would be an..._exquisite..._experience. Do it, Verdugo." A grin seemed to grow on Naruto's face, a terrifying expression to be seen on his face while he was in his Resurrección form.

"_But of course..._."

Itachi never felt so repulsed as he did when he discovered the thing cupping his chin. The coldness of its hands was almost too much for him to handle. However, there was something even more unappealing to its touch. While yes, there was cold, there also seemed to be some unnatural warmth to its fingers as well. Like a corpse rotting in the sun while vultures pecked at its rancid meat.

He shivered when the other hand landed on his face, and gagged when both hands slid up his face to lift him in the air. Itachi was now staring right into the thing's eye sockets. It breathed into his face, a stench reminiscent to embalming fluid.

"_Now then, into the rabbit hole, Shinigami!_" the creature spoke, its screeching voice making Itachi's ears ring slightly. The Shinigami desperately wanted to remove himself from the horror's grasp, but his body felt entirely numb. Entirely cold. Almost like the thing was sapping the warmth from his body.

The thing opened its mouth. The scent of embalming fluid evolved into more distinct smells: formaldehyde, rust, blood, sweat, tears, and, most terrifying of all to Itachi, deep, unending water. He understood what was in this thing: a sea. A sea of the darkest things man could accomplish. Genocide, rape, mutilation, this was all that this thing was composed of. It was a walking idol to the atrocities the world had to offer.

This thing was _death_.

The creature's mouth opened farther, almost unhinging like a snake's. It slowly pulled Itachi's frozen being into maw, swallowing him whole, swallowing him alive. Then there was only the darkness.

Into the seas of hell.

/

"We need you to kill your family, Itachi. They need to be eliminated."

He had tried his best to stay unreadable to the Sandaime, but it was impossible this time. The shock...the absolute horror at the thought of such a task broke Itachi's mask into millions of pieces.

"Kill?" the young shinobi asked. "My entire family? The entire Uchiha clan! Why! Why are you asking this?"

The Sandaime's serious expression softened at the boy's tone. However, Itachi didn't care. The horror of his mission was beginning to anger him. How dare these people ask that he should murder his kin?

"That is enough, Uchiha-san."

That voice quelled some of Itachi's anger, but not all of it. The Hokage was a kind and caring man who would deal with his anger; however, this other person would not. It was Danzo, the polar opposite of Sarutobi Hiruzen. While the Sandaime favored diplomacy, Danzo went with "might is right." He would rather govern with military power and fear instead of compromise and peace. Itachi hated him a little bit, but knew better than to cross such a man with that sort of political power. The civilian council members adored the war hawk, especially for his support in the shunning of the Kyuubi boy.

Frowning, Itachi said, "Danzo-sama, you must disagree with this! The Uchiha are an important part of Konohagakure's military force! The Sharingan is a tool that this village has needed since its founding!" He hoped going for the military power card would have swayed Danzo, even if it was just a little bit. However, the man's lone eye showed no mercy whatsoever.

"The Sharingan is indeed a good tool. However, if those same eyes seek to overthrow the power in place of Konoha, then they will be disposed of. When a dog bites its master, it is to be put down."

Itachi came quite close to attacking Danzo whenever he had compared his family to dogs.

However, Hiruzen seemed to read his mind, stating, "Danzo, that is enough!" The old war hawk closed his eyes and nodded begrudgingly. Sighing deeply, Sarutobi gave Itachi a pleading look. "We do this not out of blood lust, Itachi. This is for the greater good of Konohagakure. The coup your family intends to perform will cause the deaths of many people in the village. You must do this to preserve the peace here."

Then, strangely to Itachi, time seemed to freeze. The room lost all color, becoming a black and white still frame before him. He noticed that he was unaffected by this change, retaining the ability to move as well as keeping his colors.

From the shadows behind him, a single figure emerged. It was Uzumaki Naruto, but not the one he had been fighting. This was a Naruto from when the boy had been living. He was slightly shorter than Itachi, with the same unruly blond hair and bright blue eyes. He wore a black t-shirt and orange pants, and a pair of blue ninja sandals.

"So this is when the Old Man decided that the Uchiha were finally becoming too much trouble for their worth, eh Itachi?" the blond teenager asked with a particularly vicious smirk.

Eyebrows furrowed in confusion, the Uchiha asked, "Just what is going on here, Uzumaki? Why are we at this point in time?"

Shaking his head, Naruto replied, "For a genius, you sure are slow to catch on. I've invaded your mind with the help of my zanpakutō. I'm amusing myself by looking through all your horrible memories. You've been through some dark stuff. Haven't you, Itachi-san?"

Frowning deeply, Itachi spoke, "I do not enjoy you sorting through my brain like a library, Naruto. I want you out. Now."

To which Naruto responded by laughing right in Itachi's face. A split second later, the room morphed into the Uchiha estate. Or more specifically, the Uchiha estate on the night of his defection. He frowned deeply as he looked over the multitude of corpses laying in the street.

"I must say Itachi-san, you and Madara-teme sure did fuck your clan's day up," Naruto said, nudging a dead Uchiha with his foot.

"Do not touch them," Itachi said, his voice cold as ice.

Naruto's eyes turned to the prodigal Uchiha in amusement. "What's the matter? Feeling guilty for killing your family after all this time?"

Itachi growled and shot forward at the smaller boy, intent on hurting him.

Then, all of a sudden, he found himself plunging his ANBU ninjato straight into the chest of his mother. The shocked look on her face was quickly matched by one of his own. Looking around, Itachi recognized that he was now inside the Uchiha estate; his own home to be exact.

"Geez...killing your own mother...I thought you were better than that, Itachi-san," Naruto said. Turning towards the blond, Itachi found that his opponent was presently holding his mother's severed head in his hand. Naruto was poking and prodding the head, looking into its eyes with a weird sort of fascination.

Itachi felt something warm splash all over him, and he turned back to his mother's limp body. The warmth he had felt was his mother's blood spewing like a fountain from where here head had been chopped from her neck. He stumbled backwards at the sudden realization, letting his mother's headless corpse fall to the ground.

"_Oh, Itachi-kun! I never knew you wanted to penetrate me!_"

He turned back to Naruto, finding the blond moving his mother's lower jaw like some sort of sick puppet. Upon seeing Itachi's rage at such an act, Naruto busted out into riotous laughter.

"Enough of this Uzumaki! I will not be toyed with in such a manner! Fight me!" roared the now enraged Uchiha.

Naruto's face immediately became neutral, an act that suddenly had Itachi cautious. The look of apathy on Naruto's face was now much like how he looked in his Resurrección.

"Very well. We will fight, Uchiha Itachi," the suddenly calm Uzumaki drawled. As soon as those words were spoken, the room began to change one again. Only this time, they were in a place Itachi knew all too well. It was the stone temple where he and his younger brother had fought their last battle. It was a very appropriate place to fight a battle of this magnitude.

"In here, things will be very different, Itachi-san. In this place, you will have no zanpakutō, nor will I. In here, we are shinobi. You are as strong as you were when you died, and I am the same. Now we will see who is stronger."

**END**

/

Okay okay, I know you've been waiting this long for a new chapter for awhile, and you might be disappointed in getting one so short. I posted this to prove I am nowhere done with Antagonist. I've had writer's block with this story for some time, but I believe that it has come and passed. I'll devote a lot of time to this fic now, so expect more chapters after I get back from vacation on July 10th.


	23. XXII Märchenland

**Antagonist**

by Kalashnikov2092

Disclaimer: Lovin' is what I got. Ownership of Naruto and Bleach ain't.

/

"I have to fight like hell and fighting like hell has made me what I am." - John Arbuthnot Fisher

"There is no good and evil, there is only power...and those too weak to see it." - Joanne Kathleen Rowling

/

XXII: Märchenland

A fist plowed into Naruto's face before he even realized it had made contact. He went tumbling backwards, blood dribbling from his nose. However, Naruto took it in stride, rolling to his feet soon after taking the blow.

He smirked and wiped his bloody nose, saying, "Jeez, you don't waste time Itachi-san."

The shinobi only stared at him blankly in response. Then Itachi's arm moved, flicking a kunai straight at the blond. Naruto dodged the knife, but ran straight into an intercepting Itachi. Itachi threw a crisp right hook that spun Naruto around.

Naruto went with the spin, coming back around to attempt a kick. Itachi's Sharingan eyes easily read his opponent's movements, so he caught the kick and returned with another punch. Naruto's head rocked back, before Itachi took a tighter hold on his leg and threw him full force. The blond went soaring through the air to crash into the large throne in the center of the temple.

As soon as his body made contact with the throne, it exploded into pieces from the force. Not taking any chances, Itachi's hands went into a flurry of seals.

"Katon: Karyuu Endan," called Itachi. He took in a breath, then exhaled. From the shinobi's mouth emerged a long stream of flame. As it drew closer to the remnants of the throne, the stream of flame began to take the shape of a roaring dragon. A second later the fire dragon crashed into Naruto's location, exploding in ball of white hot flame.

Itachi stood silently, watching the flames rage. He had no doubts that Naruto was still alive. The boy was skilled, even when he was mortal.

His notion was correct, for a few seconds after the the dragon had hit his position, Naruto flew from the flames. Drawing his hands into the ram seal, the blond shinobi created two clones on each side of him. They all drew a single exploding kunai, while the real Naruto seemed to run through more seals.

Before the real Naruto was finished casting his jutsu, the clones all threw their exploding kunai. However, they did not target Itachi. Instead, the kunai all landed three yards in front of the Uchiha. He instinctively jumped backwards, and the kunais' explosions missed him completely.

Then, behind the wall of flames, Naruto voice called out: "Futon: Daitoppa."

Suddenly, the wall of flame caused by the exploding kunai became a fast moving wave of fire. Itachi's eyes widened at the combination of attacks, before he cursed himself and activated his Mangekyo.

He cast Susanoo without a second thought. The red silhouette of his Susanoo blocked Naruto's attack completely, and as soon as the wave of fire passed him, Itachi dropped the Mangekyo's greatest ability.

The prodigy soon found Naruto right in front of him, the blond's fist cocked back to deliver a powerful hay maker. Unfortunately for the boy, Itachi's Sharingan was still victorious. He read Naruto's attack like a book, dodging the swing with incredible ease. He then returned with a punch of his own, an uppercut that clicked Naruto's teeth together with jarring force.

As the blond stumbled backwards, Itachi threw a snap kick to Naruto's ribs. He could hear the air forcefully eject from his younger opponent's lungs, and smirked in return. Naruto had become foolishly conceited. He had created a scenario where they were only as strong as they were when they were ninja; in this scenario Itachi had a great advantage. Naruto was strong in ninjutsu, but Itachi's speed, taijutsu, and Sharingan easily trounced Naruto's skill.

Then, a shadow appeared above Itachi's head. He instinctively looked up to find the four Naruto clones flying down at him. He rolled backwards to evade the clones' aerial attack. The four copies immediately followed Itachi, trying with all their might to land a blow on their opponent. Still, Itachi expertly bobbed and weaved between the flurry of punches and kicks. His Sharingan eyes would not fail against mere Kage Bunshin.

Growing bored of his four attackers, Itachi ducked under one punch. His hand blurred downward to draw a kunai. Immediately after his hand touched its hilt, he had it drawn and thrust into one clone's stomach. It exploded into smoke, and he spun on his left heel to smash his right heel into another clone's throat. The blow crushed its windpipe, thus ending its existence.

Itachi then rolled under a roundhouse kick, rolling to his feet. He now stood directly in front of another clone, and he used the closeness to deliver a backwards headbutt. The blow only dazed the Kage Bunshin, but Itachi used the opening to draw the kunai across its neck. As the third clone disappeared, Itachi blurred forward to ram his kunai into the last clone's back.

It gasped before cursing. "Damn...you really were a dangerous shinobi, eh Itachi-san?" the clone questioned with a pained grimace.

"It was foolish to create these rules, Uzumaki. As a shinobi, you do not come even close to my skill," replied Itachi, his eyes spinning as he looked at the clone.

"Oh really? Well then, I guess I gotta step things up a bit..."

Itachi was suddenly aware of a presence behind him. He spun around, kunai slashing at the person. However, the assailant caught his wrist in a powerful grip. Itachi looked at Uzumaki Naruto, but there was something different about him. His eyes were yellow, and very frog-like.

Upon seeing Itachi's gaze, Naruto said, "That's right. You died before I ever learned how to use Sage Chakra."

Then a fist crashed straight into Itachi's face with immense speed and power. His body began to move backwards from the force of the blow, but Naruto's vice grip kept his opponent from going anywhere. Itachi gave a cough as blood from his newly attained broken nose began to spill down his throat.

His vision was blurred from the punch, so Itachi's Sharingan eyes did nothing to stop a rising knee to his chest. His eyes shot open and a gasp escaped his blood filled throat as the pain from such a blow registered. Itachi tried to wrench his arm free, but Naruto's multiplied strength from the Sage Chakra would not relent. Instead, Naruto twisted his opponent's wrist, earning a grimace from the prodigal Uchiha.

Laughing lightly, Naruto spoke, "The tables have turned on you Itachi-san. Now I have the upper hand."

Itachi did not respond. Instead, he opted to pull an unexpected move. His free hand latched onto Naruto's forearm, and his feet left the ground. In a blur of sudden triumph, Itachi caught Naruto in a perfect arm bar.

The blond let out a surprised cry as his arm was suddenly being forced out of its socket. He quickly tried to pull his arm free, but Itachi took on the role of not relinquishing hold. However, the Sage Chakra's perks began to allow Naruto to overpower Itachi.

So, Itachi quickly drew a kunai and cut the muscles in Naruto's arm.

This effectively rendered the limb immovable while also ending all resistence to Itachi's arm bar. With a sickening pop, the blond's shoulder was wrenched out of its socket. Naruto gave a roar and fell to his knees. Itachi ended the submission, landing on his feet directly behind Naruto.

"An impressive skill Uzumaki, but I still have skills you couldn't imagine," the former ANBU commander spoke. Naruto looked over his shoulder gave his foe a heated glare. The glare was wiped from his face when a kick from Itachi smashed into it. The blond was sent skidding across the stone floor in a heap.

However, the kick didn't even seem to faze the son of Namikaze Minato. He had a thoughtful look as he dragged himself to his feet, something that Itachi wasn't pleased with.

Looking over at his adversary, Naruto said, "Damn that hurt a lot. You are one crafty bastard Itachi-san, I have to give you that. However, thinking that an arm bar would come anywhere close to finishing me doesn't suit a man of your intelligence. As a former member of Akatsuki you should know that the Kyuubi always healed minor injuries like this. Hell, I can pop my shoulder back into its socket without the fox's help." For emphasis, Naruto grabbed a hold of his dead arm and jerked it upwards. There was another pop and Naruto grimaced, but he was able to roll his shoulder now.

"Perhaps I've been going around the wrong way with this...Sage Chakra isn't helping me too much. I guess I'll have to use my other alternative chakra source," stated the blond, and his frog-like yellow eyes faded away.

However, Itachi took no window of opportunity for granted. As soon as Naruto was normal once more, Itachi blurred at his smaller opponent. The blond cursed as he was forced to block a flurry of super-fast punches. As he was stepping backwards, a leg sweep knocked his legs out from under him. A second later Itachi was above him, a stomp crashing into his face.

Naruto gave a cough as some of his teeth were knocked out, but he still retained consciousness. He quickly rolled away from the former ANBU commander and leaped to his feet. He brushed some blood off his chin and gave the Uchiha a glare.

As Itachi watched, Naruto's glaring eyes began to turn red. Upon seeing Itachi's alarm at such a sight, Naruto said, "Another thing you never got to see was something I'm quite proud of. You see, that big scary fox in me, well, let's say he's _quite_ obedient to me now."

Itachi cursed as red chakra began to bubble on Naruto's skin. He became even more alarmed, however, when the red chakra became incredibly dark. He watched as not one, not two, not _three_, but four tails of blood red chakra formed out of Naruto's tail bone. The red chakra became almost black, and it covered Naruto's entire being. Now Naruto no longer looked human. Instead he looked like a man-sized fox with four tails.

Surprisingly, Naruto then spoke to Itachi, saying, "This is just my Four Tailed State. I have five more levels after this. You should make it easy on yourself so you don't have to see the rest."

Then Naruto's arm shot forward, extending at Itachi. The prodigal Uchiha was forced to jump away, but he soon found his demonic opponent directly behind him. It took a swipe at him with its claws, and Itachi cursed when he found that his Sharingan couldn't read its movements. Since Naruto was covered in a shell of chakra, Itachi's Sharingan was unable to predict its attacks.

So, he was forced to move forward slightly so he was struck by the fox's forearm instead of its claws. Still, the force behind the blow was tremendous. As soon as he was hit, Itachi was sent flying into one of the temple walls. His body left a deep imprint in the stone structure, and the former ANBU commander let out a cry of pain. A second later Naruto's chakra hands grasped hold of him, pulling him towards the fox. Once Itachi was right in front of him, Naruto's Four Tailed State seemed to grow legs out of its midsection. These legs then planted their feet into Itachi's stomach.

Itachi gave a silent cry at the force behind Naruto's attack, the wind knocked right out of his lungs. Itachi barely registered the feeling of something grasping his hair, for the disorientation of such powerful attacks in succession had taken hold. Then he found himself flying through the air.

He gained his senses quickly, but nowhere fast enough to prevent himself from crashing into the forest below the temple. The trees did little to stop Itachi's flying body, and the prodigal Uchiha found himself crashing through the woods. He soon made contact with the ground, halting his crash. Itachi barely found the strength to stand. His body was a wreck, coved in cuts, bruises and splinters on the outside. On the inside Itachi found he had some broken ribs and a few bruised organs. That was clearly not good.

There was a zipping sound, and Itachi turned just in time to see Naruto right next to him, claw aimed back to smash into the Mangekyo wielder. Just as Naruto was about follow up on the slash, Itachi willed his body to throw a kick. His shin met Naruto's chakra-encased face, stumbling the Kyuubi jinchuuriki enough to stop its attack. However, Itachi was still injured. The shin he had used for the kick was badly burned from the Kyuubi's volatile chakra. Now that leg was weakened, slowing the Uchiha significantly.

Naruto capitalized on this new weakness, using his tails as springs to launch himself head first into Itachi's stomach. The two of them shot like a bullet through the forest, uprooting any trees in their way. Naruto halted himself by digging into the ground with his claws, disengaging himself from Itachi's body. The Uchiha continued soaring for quite a bit, Naruto losing sight of him in the process. The jinchuuriki moved to rectify the situation, sprinting off to follow the Uchiha rag doll.

However, as he began moving, there was a whisper somewhere in the forest.

"Amaterasu."

The forest seemed to darken, and then suddenly everything was turning into ash around Naruto. The boy turned around to come face-to-face with a jet stream of obsidian flames. He roared as the black inferno made contact with his chakra shell, burning right through. The pain was excruciating, but Naruto had faced it both against Madara and Sasuke (though ironically, Itachi had given Naruto a gift that had rendered Sasuke's Amaterasu harmless all those years ago).

Naruto once again used his tails as springs to jump away from the majority of the blaze. Some of the flame still stuck to his shoulder, but Naruto quickly pulled off a trick the Kyuubi had discovered after his run ins with Mangekyo-wielding Uchiha. Naruto had used it in a key moment in his battle with Madara all those years ago.

The counter was quite simple. He moved all of his chakra shell towards the flame. His chakra then seemed to wrap around the Amaterasu. It seemed that even though Amaterasu was by all means an irregular sort of flame, it still needed oxygen to burn. So, Naruto encased the flame in a constant ball of the Kyuubi's chakra and waited for the Amaterasu to eat all the oxygen inside. When he felt that the flame had dissipated, he spread the fox's chakra over himself once again.

Granted, using this method used up a great deal of chakra since he had to constantly replace the chakra Amaterasu burned away. However, if Itachi was starting to use such high-level techniques, Naruto was allowed to step up his game and use even more of the Kyuubi's gifts. He dug more of the fox's chakra out, adding two more tails to his already four-tailed state. Now with six tails, Naruto's Kyuubi cloak began to add more to its defense, creating a large fox skeleton over Naruto's form.

A grin spreading across the facade of his chakra shell, Naruto's tails curled forward, their tips creating a ring around his mouth. Opening his jaws, Naruto began to draw in the natural chakras from his surroundings. Specs of white and black energy flowed into his mouth, and the boy happily ingested them. His stomach seemed to swell to almost cartoonish proportions, but before it seemed that he would burst, the Kyuubi container slammed his arm into his bulging gut.

This forcefully ejected the amassed energies in the form of a hyper-lethal demonic chakra blast.

The beam simply caused all in front it to cease to exist. An entire patch of forest disappeared in the blink of an eye. Naruto made his chakra shell grin at this highly destructive act, but he knew that the battle wasn't over quite yet. He saw before that Itachi had used that damned Susanoo technique to escape his exploding note offensive, and he probably had pulled it out again to survive his latest attack.

However, he knew from his battle with Sasuke that that technique ate the user's chakra like crazy. However, Sasuke had possessed a perfect Mangekyo when he and Naruto had fought, making the taxing move easier to use. Sasuke had bragged that he was far superior to his older brother, for he was able to use Amaterasu, Tsukiyomi, and Susanoo without it being a threat to his life/health.

So, right now Naruto was guessing that using Susanoo on top of Amaterasu with his normal Mangekyo eyes was probably doing a number on Itachi. A large number, in fact.

Which worked perfect for Naruto. All he had to do was push the pace and make Itachi practically kill himself with his own techniques.

As soon at the smoke cleared to reveal Itachi with his fully formed Susanoo shimmering over his body, Naruto pounced. Using his heightened speed and strength, the jinchuuriki soared across the distance between his opponent and himself in a split second. He crashed full force into Itachi's technique, latching tight onto it with his now extended chakra arms. Itachi watched, huffing from mild chakra exhaustion, as Naruto pressed his faux face against Susanoo's protective barrier like it was a pane of glass.

"**Hey hey hey Itachi-san. You don't look so good. You're probably wishin' you had chakra reserves like me, ain't ya?****Well sorry, but I like you just the way you are now.**_**"**_ Naruto's six-tailed state grumbled. Then its mouth opened, and a downright chilling roar of laughter exploded deep from within its throat. Itachi narrowed his bleeding Mangekyo eyes at his malevolent foe. Naruto obviously could see how badly his eyes were hurting him. However, Itachi doubted that the boy knew he had some very powerful trump cards he used in tandem with Susanoo.

Not wanting to give himself away, Itachi showed no emotion as Susanoo's arm came down to its waist, and laid hand on a gourd attached to its belt. Suddenly, the gourd opened, and spilling from it was long stream of flames. Susanoo grasped the flame like a sword, because it _was _a sword. Only, this sword was very special; the Sword of Totsuka to be exact. This mighty weapon had unequaled destructive power, as well as a very useful secondary sealing attack. I he could just piecrce his wily opponent, Itachi could seal Naruto with a very powerful unending genjutsu, thus ending this battle before his Mangekyo killed him.

However, if he was going to attack the jinchuuriki, he'd have to pry him off of Susanoo. So, before Naruto realized what was happening, Itachi activated his second trump card: the Yata Mirror. It was his ultimate defense along side his ultimate offense. It rejected anything close to Susanoo with extreme prejiduce. All Naruto knew was that one second, he was latched onto Susanoo, the next, flying away from it quite forcefully.

Naruto righted himself while soaring through the air, landing in a skid on all fours. He looked over to Itachi, and found the already fierce Susanoo now wielding a blade of flowing red flames. Naruto didn't know what the hell this was, but he was smart enough to know that he should not let Itachi get anywhere near him with that thing, let alone let himself get slashed by such an impressive looking tool.

However, he wasn't going to let himself be vulnerable if Itachi was able to get close to him. So, Naruto exhaled a long breath, and began to do something he had never dared to use when he had finished Akatsuki in Konoha shortly before he died. He hadn't used his biggest trump card because while he wanted to save the village, he still wanted there to be a village left afterwards. You see, this impressive ability was also something that he had grasped in his long and painful training with Kumo's infamous master of rhyme. It was a bitch to pull off, but he knew he'd had to accomplish it eventually.

Hell, if Killer Bee could release all eight tails of the Hachibi's chakra, Naruto naturally trained with him to use all nine tails of the Kyuubi's.

**END**

/

Well, I got to reading EVERY SINGLE ONE OF MY REVIEWS EVER over the past couple of days, and decided to pump out this chapter in a single night. Your guys support had pumped me up, and so I give this chapter to yins as a present. I will try my best to get back into writing this as well as Disappear With the Wind. This one should be easier to do because the whole Aizen arc is over. Though, I have to say this new storyline in Bleach just has me bored. So, I've been finding some new manga loves, like Monster, Ichi the Killer, and Berserk. Check all three out, because in terms of quality, they are the top three I've ever read. Also, while not technically a manga, I've pretty much fell in love with Brian Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim series. Go and buy it, hipsters.


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